THE  APPLE  ORCHARD.    See  page  87. 


ILLUSTRATED  LIBRARY  EDITION. 


PASSAGES 


FROM  THE 


AMERICAN    NOTE-  BOOKS 


OF 


NATHANIEL   HAWTHORNE. 


TWO  VOLUMES  IN  ONE, 


& 
Library* 

Ot 


BOSTON : 
JAMES   R.  OSGOOD   AND   COMPANY, 

LATE  TICKNOR  &  FIELDS,  AND  FIELDS,  OSGOOD,  &  Co. 
I875- 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 

SOPHIA    HAWTHORNE, 
in  the  Cleric's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts 


to  MXVKRSITY  PRESS  :  WELCH,  BIGELOW,  & 
CAMBRIDGE. 


California 

ss—^^^ 

PASSAGES 


FROM 


HAWTHORNE'S  AMERICAN  NOTE-BOOKS. 


SALEM,  June  15,  1835.  —  A  walk  down  to  the  Jum 
per.  The  shore  of  the  coves  strewn  with  bunches  of 
sea-weed,  driven  in  by  recent  winds.  Eel-grass,  rolled 
and  bundled  up,  and  entangled  with  it,  —  large  marine 
vegetables,  of  an  olive  color,  with  round,  slender,  snake- 
like  stalks,  four  or  five  feet  long,  and  nearly  two  feet 
broad  :  these  are  the  herbage  of  the  deep  sea.  Shoals 
of  fishes,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  shore,  discernible 
by  their  fins  out  of  water.  Among  the  heaps  of  sea 
weed  there  were  sometimes  small  pieces  of  painted 
wood,  bark,  and  other  driftage.  On  the  shore,  with 
pebbles  of  granite,  there  were  round  or  oval  pieces  of 
brick,  which  the  waves  had  rolled  about  till  they  resem 
bled  a  natural  mineral.  Huge  stones  tossed  about,  in 
every  variety  of  confusion,  some  shagged  all  over  with 
sea-weed,  others  only  partly  covered,  others  bare.  The 
old  ten-gun  battery,  at  the  outer  angle  of  the  Juniper, 
very  verdant,  and  besprinkled  with  white-weed,  clover, 
*md  buttercups.  The  juniper-trees  are  very  aged  and 
decayed  and  moss-grown.  The  grass  about  the  hospital 
?s  rank,  being  trodc1  n,  probably  by  nobody  but  myself. 

VOL.    I.  A 


2  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [l83S 

There  is  a  representation  of  a  vessel  under  sail,  cut 
with  a  penknife,  on  the  corner  of  the  house. 

Returning  by  the  almshouse,  I  stopped  a  good  while 
to  look  at  the  pigs,  —  a  great  herd,  —  who  seemed  to 
be  just  finishing  their  suppers.  They  certainly  are 
types  of  unmitigated  sensuality,  —  some  standing  in  the 
trough,  in  the  midst  of  their  own  and  others'  victuals, 
—  some  thrusting  their  noses  deep  into  the  food,  — • 
some  rubbing  their  backs  against  a  post,  —  some  hud 
dled  together  between  sleeping  and  waking,  breathing 
hard,  —  all  wallowing  about ;  a  great  boar  swaggering 
round,  and  a  big  sow  waddling  along  with  her  huge 
paunch.  Notwithstanding  the  unspeakable  defilement 
with  which  these  strange  sensualists  spice  all  their 
food,  they  seem  to  have  a  quick  and  delicate  sense  of 
smell.  What  ridiculous-looking  animals !  Swift  him 
self  could  not  have  imagined  anything  nastier  than 
what  they  practise  by  the  mere  impulse  of  natural 
genius.  Yet  the  Shakers  keep  their  pigs  very  clean, 
and  with  great  advantage.  The  legion  of  devils  in  the 
herd  of  swine,  —  what  a  scene  it  must  have  been  ! 

Sunday  evening,  going  by  the  jail,  the  setting  sun 
kindled  up  the  windows  most  cheerfully;  as  if  there 
were  a  bright,  comfortable  light  within  its  darksome 
stone  wall. 

June  18.-— A  walk  in  North  Salem  in  the  decline  of 
yesterday  afternoon,  —  beautiful  weather,  bright,  sunny, 
with  a  western  or  northwestern  wind  just  cool  enough, 
and  a  slight  superfluity  of  heat.  The  verdure,  both  of 
trees  and  grass,  is  now  in  its  prime,  the  leaves  elastic, 
all  life.  The  grass-fields  are  plenteously  bestrewn  with 


1835.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  '6 

white-weed,  large  spaces  looking  as  white  as  a  sheet  of 
snow,  at  a  distance,  yet  with  an  indescribably  warmer 
tinge  than  snow,  —  living  white,  intermixed  with  living 
green.  The  hills  and  hollows  beyond  the  Cold  Spring 
copiously  shaded,  principally  with  oaks  of  good  growth, 
and  some  walnut-trees,  with  the  rich  sun  brightening  in 
the  midst  of  the  open  spaces,  and  mellowing  and  fad 
ing  into  the  shade,  —  and  single  trees,  with  their  cool 
spot  of  shade,  in  the  waste  of  sun  :  quite  a  picture  of 
beauty,  gently  picturesque.  The  surface  of  the  land  is 
so  varied,  with  woodland  mingled,  that  the  eye  cannot 
reach  far  away,  except  now  and  then  in  vistas  perhaps 
across  the  river,  showing  houses,  or  a  church  and  sur 
rounding  village,  in  Upper  Beverly.  In  one  of  the 
sunny  bits  of  pasture,  walled  irregularly  in  with  oak- 
shade,  I  saw  a  gray  mare  feeding,  and,  as  I  drew  near 
a  colt  sprang  up  from  amid  the  grass,  —  a  very  small 
colt.  He  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  I  tried  to  startle 
him,  so  as  to  make  him  gallop ;  but  he  stretched  his 
long  legs,  one  after  another,  walked  quietly  to  his 
mother,  and  began  to  suck,  — just  wetting  his  lips,  not 
being  very  hungry.  Then  he  rubbed  his  head,  alter 
nately,  with  each  hind  leg.  He  was  a  graceful  little 
beast. 

I  bathed  in  the  cove,  overhung  with  maples  and  wal 
nuts,  the  water  cool  and  thrilling.  At  a  distance  it 
sparkled  bright  and  blue  in  the  breeze  and  sun. 
There  were  jelly-fish  swimming  about,  and  several  left 
to  melt  away  on  the  shore.  On  the  shore,  sprouting 
amongst  the  sand  and  gravel,  I  found  samphire,  grow 
ing  somewhat  like  asparagus.  It  is  an  excellent  salad 
at  this  season,  salt,  yet  with  an  herb-like  vivacity,  and 


4  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835 

vei*y  tender.  I  strolled  slowly  through  the  pastures, 
watching  my  long  shadow  making  grave,  fantastic  ges 
tures  in  the  sun.  It  is  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  sun 
shine  brightening  the  entrance  of  a  road  which  shortly 
becomes  deeply  overshadowed  by  trees  on  both  sides. 
At  the  Cold  Spring,  three  little  girls,  from  six  to  nine, 
were  seated  on  the  stones  in  which  the  fountain  is  set, 
and  paddling  in  the  water.  It  was  a  pretty  picture, 
and  would  have  been  prettier,  if  they  had  shown  bare 
little  legs,  instead  of  pantalets.  Very  large  trees  over 
hung  them,  and  the  sun  was  so  near!/  gone  down  that 
a  pi  asant  gloom  made  the  spot  sombre,  in  contrast 
with  these  light  and  laughing  little  figures.  On  per 
ceiving  me,  they  rose  up,  tittering  among  themselves. 
It  seemed  that  there  was  a  sort  of  playful  malice  in 
those  who  first  saw  me ;  for  they  allowed  the  other  to 
keep  on  paddling,  without  warning  her  of  my  approach. 
I  passed  along,  and  heard  them  come  chattering  be 
hind. 

June  22. —  I  rode  to  Boston  in  the  afternoon  with 
Mr.  Proctor.  It  was  a  coolish  day,  with  clouds  and 
intermitting  sunshine,  and  a  pretty  fresh  breeze.  We 
stopped  about  an  hour  at  the  Maverick  House,  in  the 
sprouting  branch  of  the  city,  at  East  Boston,  —  a  stylish 
house,  with  doors  painted  in  imitation  of  oak  ;  a  large 
bar;  bells  ringing;  the  bar-keeper  calls  out,  when  a 
bell  rings,  "Number — ";  then  a  waiter  replies,  "Num 
ber —  answered";  and  scampers  up  stairs.  A  ticket 
is  given  by  the  hostler,  on  taking  the  horse  and  chaise, 
which  is  returned  to  the  bar-keeper  when  the  chaise  is 
wanted.  The  landlord  was  fashionably  dressed,  with 


J835.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  5 

the  whitest  of  linen,  neatly  plaited,  and  as  courteous  as 
a  Lord  Chamberlain.  Visitors  fronr  Boston  thronging 
the  house,  —  some  standing  at  the  bar,  watching  the 
process  of  preparing  tumblers  of  punch,  —  others  sit 
ting  at  the  windows  of  different  parlors,  —  some  with 
faces  flushed,  puffing  cigars.  The  bill  of  fare  for  the 
day  was  stuck  up  beside  the  bar.  Opposite  this  princi 
pal  hotel  there  was  another,  called  "  The  Mechanics," 
which  seemed  to  be  equally  thronged.  I  suspect  that 
the  company  were  about  on  a  par  in  each ;  for  at  the 
Maverick  House,  v  though  well  dressed,  they  seemed  to 
be  merely  Sunday  gentlemen,  —  mostly  young  fellows, 
—  clerks  in  dry-goods  stores  being  the  aristocracy  of 
them.  One,  very  fashionable  in  appearance,  with  a 
handsome  cane,  happened  to  stop  by  me  and  lift  up  his 
foot,  and  I  noticed  that  the  sole  of  his  boot  (which  was 
exquisitely  polished)  was  all  worn  out.  I  apprehend 
that  some  such  minor  deficiencies  might  have  been  de 
tected  in  the  general  showiness  of  most  of  them. 
There  were  girls,  too,  but  not  pretty  ones,  nor,  on  the 
whole,  such  good  imitations  of  gentility  as  the  young 
men.  There  were  as  many  people  as  are  usually  col 
lected  at  a  muster,  or  on  similar  occasions,  lounging 
about,  without  any  apparent  enjoyment ;  but  the  obser 
vation  of  this  may  serve  me  to  make  a  sketch  of  the 
mode  of  spending  the  Sabbath  by  the  majority  of  un 
married,  young,  middling-class  people,  near  a  great 
town.  Most  of  the  people  had  smart  canes  and  bosom- 
pins. 

Crossing  the  ferry  into  Boston,  we  went  to  the  City 
Tavern,  where  the  bar-room  presented  a  Sabbath  scene 
»f  repose,  —  stage-folk  lounging  in  chains  half  asleep, 

r 


6  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835. 

smoking  cigar?,  generally  with  clean  linen  and  other 
niceties  of  apparel,  to  mark  the  day.  The  doors  and 
blinds  of  an  oyster  and  refreshment  shop  across  the 
street  were  closed,  but  I  saw  people  enter  it.  There 
were  two  owls  in  a  back  court,  visible  through  a 
window  of  the  bar-room,  —  speckled  gray,  with  dark- 
clue  eyes,  —  the  queerest-looking  birds  that  exist,  — 
eo  solemn  and  wise,  —  dozing  away  the  day,  much  like 
the  rest  of  the  people,  only  that  they  looked  wiser  than 
any  others.  Their  hooked  beaks  looked  like  hooked 
noses.  A  dull  scene  this.  A  stranger,  here  and  there, 
poring  over  a  newspaper.  Many  of  the  stage-folk  sit 
ting  in  chairs  on  the  pavement,  in  front  of  the  door. 

We  went  to  the  top  of  the  hill  which  formed  part  of 
Gardiner  Greene's  estate,  and  which  is  now  in  the  pro 
cess  of  levelling,  and  pretty  much  taken  away,  except 
the  highest  point,  and  a  narrow  path  to  ascend  to  it. 
It  gives  an  admirable  view  of  the  city,  being  almost  as 
high  as  the  steeples  and  the  dome  of  the  State  House, 
and  overlooking  the  whole  mass  of  brick  buildings  and 
slated  roofs,  with  glimpses  of  streets  far  below.  It  was 
really  a  pity  to  take  it  down.  I  noticed  the  stump  of  a 
very  large  elm,  recently  felled.  No  house  in  the  city 
could  have  reared  its  roof  so  high  as  the  roots  of  that 
tree,  if  indeed  the  church-spires  did  so. 

On  our  drive  home  we  passed  through  Charlestown. 
Stages  in  abundance  were  passing  the  road,  burdened 
with  passengers  inside  and  out  ;  also  chaises  and 
barouches,  horsemen  and  footmen.  "We  are  a  commu 
nity  of  Sabbath-breakers ! 

August  31.  —  A  drive  to  Nahant  yesterday  afternoon 


1835.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  7 

Slopped  at  Rice's,  and  afterwards  walked  down  to  the 
steamboat  wharf  to  see  the  passengers  land.  It  is 
strange  how  few  good  faces  there  are  in  the  world, 
comparatively  to  the  ugly  ones.  Scarcely  a  single 
comely  one  in  all  this  collection.  Then  to  the  hotel. 
Barouches  at  the  doors,  and  gentlemen  and  ladies  going 
to  drive,  and  gentlemen  smoking  round  the  piazza. 
The  bar-keeper  had  one  of  Benton's  mint-drops  for  a 
bosom-brooch !  It  made  a  very  handsome  one.  I 
crossed  the  beach  for  home  about  sunset.  The  tide 
was  so  far  down  as  just  to  give  me  a  passage  on  the 
hard  sand,  between  the  sea  and  the  loose  gravel.  The 
sea  was  calm  and  smooth,  with  only  the  surf-waves 
whitening  along  the  beach.  Several  ladies  and  gentle 
men  on  horseback  were  cantering  and  galloping  before 
and  behind  me. 

A  hint  of  a  story,  —  some  incident  which  should 
bring  on  a  general  war ;  and  the  chief  actor  in  the 
incident  to  have  something  corresponding  to  the  mis 
chief  he  had  caused. 

September  7.  —  A  drive  to  Ipswich  with  B .    At 

the  tavern  was  an  old,  fat,  country  major,  and  another 
old  fellow,  laughing  and  playing  off  jokes  on  each  other, 
—  one  tying  a  ribbon  upon  the  other's  hat.  One  had 
been  a  trumpeter  to  the  major's  troop.  Walking  about 
town,  we  knocked,  for  a  whim,  at  the  door  of  a  dark 
old  house,  and  inquired  if  Miss  Hannah  Lord  lived 
there.  A  woman  of  about  thirty  came  to  the  door, 
with  rather  a  confused  smile,  and  a  disorder  about  the 
bosom  of  her  dress,  as  if  she  had  been  disturbed  while 


8  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  {_1835. 

nursing  her  child.     She  answered  us  with  great  kind 
ness. 

Entering  the  burial-ground,  where  some  masons  were 
building  a  tomb,  we  found  a  good  many  old  monuments, 
and  several  covered  with  slabs  of  red  freestone  or  slate, 
and  with  arms  sculptured  on  the  slab,  or  an  inlaid 
circle  of  slate.  On  one  slate  grave-stone,  of  the  Rev. 
Nathl.  Rogers,  there  was  a  portrait  of  that  worthy, 
about  a  third  of  the  ske  of  life,  carved  in  relief,  with 
his  cloak,  band,  and  wig,  in  excellent  preservation,  all 
the  buttons  of  his  waistcoat  being  cut  with  great  mi 
nuteness,  —  the  minister's  nose  being  on  a  level  with 
his  cheeks.  It  was  an  upright  grave-stone.  Return 
ing  home,  I  held  a  colloquy  with  a  young  girl  about  the 
right  road.  She  had  come  out  to  feed  a  pig,  and  was 
a  little  suspicious  that  we  were  making  fun  of  her,  yet 
answered  us  with  a  shy  laugh  and  good-nature,  —  the 
pig  all  the  time  squealing  for  his  dinner. 

Displayed  along  the  walls,  and  suspended  from  the 
pillars  of  the  original  King's  Chapel,  were  coats-of- 
arms  of  the  king,  the  successive  governors,  and  other 
distinguished  men.  In  the  pulpit  there  was  an  hour 
glass  on  a  large  and  elaborate  brass  stand.  The  organ 
was  surmounted  by  a  gilt  crown  in  the  centre,  sup 
ported  by  a  gilt  mitre  on  each  side.  The  governor's 
pew  had  Corinthian  pillars,  and  crimson  damask  tapes* 
try.  In  1727  it  was  lined  with  china,  probably  tiles. 

Saint  Augustin,  at  mass,  charged  all  that  were  ac 
cursed  to  go  out  of  the  church.  "  Then  a  dead  body 
arose,  and  went  out  of  the  church  into  the  churchyard, 


t83o.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  9 

with  a  white  cloth  on  its  head,  and  stood  there  till  mass 
was  over.  It  was  a  former  lord  of  the  manor,  whom  a 
curate  had  cursed  because  he  refused  to  pay  his  tithes. 
A  justice  also  commanded  the  dead  curate  to  arise,  and 
gave  him  a  rod  ;  and  the  dead  lord,  kneeling,  received 
penance  thereby."  He  then  ordered  the  lord  to  go  again 
to  his  grave,  which  he  did,  and  fell  immediately  to  ashes. 
Saint  Augustin  offered  to  pray  for  the  curate,  that  he 
might  remain  on  earth  to  confirm  men  in  their  belief  ; 
but  the  curate  refused,  because  he  was  in  the  place  of 
rest. 


A  sketch  to  be  given  of  a  modern  reformer,  —  a  type 
of  the  extreme  doctrines  on  the  subject  of  slaves,  cold 
water,  and  other  such  topics.  He  goes  about  the  streets 
haranguing  most  eloquently,  and  is  on  the  point  of 
making  many  converts,  when  his  labors  are  suddenly 
interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  the  keeper  of  a  mad 
house,  whence  he  has  escaped.  Much  may  be  made  of 
this  idea. 


A  change  from  a  gay  young  girl  to  an  old  woman  ; 
the  melancholy  events,  the  effects  of  which  have  clus 
tered  around  her  character,  and  gradually  imbued  it 
with  their  influence,  till  she  becomes  a  lover  of  sick- 
chambers,  taking  pleasure  in  receiving  dying  breaths 
and  in  laying  out  the  dead  ;  also  having  her  mind  full 
of  funeral  reminiscences,  and  possessing  more  acquaint 
ances  "beneath  the  burial  turf  than  above  it. 

A  well-ion  eerted  train  of  events  to  be  thrown  into 
confusion  by  some  misplaced  circumstance,  unsuspected 
1* 


10  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835. 

till  the  catastrophe,  yet  exerting  its  influence  from  be 
ginning  to  end. 

On  the  common,  at  dusk,  after  a  salute  from  two 
field-pieces,  the  smoke  lay  long  and  heavily  on  the 
ground,  without  much  spreading  beyond  the  original 
space  over  which  it  had  gushed  from  the  guns.  It  was 
about  the  height  of  a  man.  The  evening  clear,  but 
with  an  autumnal  chill. 

The  world  is  so  sad  and  solemn,  that  things  meant  in 
jest  are  liable,  by  an  overpowering  influence,  to  become 
dreadful  earnest,  —  gayly  dressed  fantasies  turning  to 
ghostly  and  black-clad  images  of  themselves. 

A  story,  the  hero  of  which  is  to  be  represented  as 
naturally  capable  of  deep  and  strong  passion,  and  look 
ing  forward  to  the  time  when  he  shall  feel  passionate 
love,  which  is  to  be  the  great  event  of  his  existence. 
But  it  so  chances  that  he  never  falls  in  love  ,  and  al 
though  he  gives  up  the  expectation  of  so  doing,  and 
marries  calmly,  yet  it  is  somewhat  sadly,  with  senti 
ments  merely  of  esteem  for  his  bride.  The  lady  might 
be  one  who  had  loved  him  early  in  life,  but  whom  then, 
in  his  expectation  of  passionate  love,  he  had  scorned. 

The  scene  of  a  story  or  sketch  to  be  laid  within  the 
light  of  a  street-lantern ;  the  time,  when  the  lamp  is 
near  going  out ;  and  the  catastrophe  to  be  simultaneous 
with  the  last  flickering;  gleam. 


o  o 


The   peculiar   weariness   and   depression    of    spirits 


1835.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  11 

which  is  felt  after  a  day  wasted  in  turning  over  a  mag 
azine  or  other  light  miscellany,  different  from  the  state 
of  the  mind  after  severe  study ;  because  there  has 
been  no  excitement,  no  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  but 
the  spirits  have  evaporated  insensibly. 

To  represent  the  process  by  which  sober  truth  grad 
ually  strips  off  all  the  beautiful  draperies  with  which 
imagination  has  enveloped  a  beloved  object,  till  from  an 
angel  she  turns  out  to  be  a  merely  ordinary  woman. 
This  to  be  done  without  caricature,  perhaps  with  a 
quiet  humor  interfused,  but  the  prevailing  impression  to 
be  a  sad  one.  The  story  might  consist  of  the  various 
alterations  in  the  feelings  of  the  absent  lover,  caused  by 
successive  events  that  display  the  true  character  of  his 
mistress ;  and  the  catastrophe  should  take  place  at  their 
meeting,  when  he  finds  himself  equally  disappointed  in 
her  person  ;  or  the  whole  spirit  of  the  thing  may  here 
be  reproduced. 

Last  evening,  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the  North 
River,  a  view  of  the  town  mirrored  in  the  water,  which 
was  as  smooth  as  glass,  with  no  perceptible  tide  or  agi 
tation,  except  a  trifling  swell  and  reflux  on  the  sand, 
although  the  shadow  of  the  moon  danced  in  it.  The 
picture  of  the  town  perfect  in  the  water,  —  towers  of 
churches,  houses,  with  here  and  there  a  light  gleaming 
near  the  shore  above,  and  more  faintly  glimmering  un 
der  water,  —  all  perfect,  but  somewhat  more  hazy  and 
indistinct  than  the  reality.  There  were  many  clouds 
flitting  about  the  sky ;  and  the  picture  of  each  could  be 
traced  in  the  water,  —  the  ghost  of  what  was  itself  un« 


12  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835 

substantial.  The  rattling  of  wheels  heard  long  and  far 
through  the  town.  Voices  of  people  talking  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  the  tones  being  so  distinguishable  in 
all  their  variations  that  it  seemed  as  if  what  was  there 
said  might  be  understood  ;  but  it  was  not  so. 

Two  persons  might  be  bitter  enemies  through  life,  and 
mutually  cause  the  ruin  of  one  another,  and  of  all  that 
were  dear  to  them.  Finally,  meeting  at  the  funeral  of 
a  grandchild,  the  offspring  of  a  son  and  daughter  mar 
ried  without  their  consent, — and  who,  as  well  as  the 
child,  had  been  the  victims  of  their  hatred,  —  they 
might  discover  that  the  supposed  ground  of  the  quarrel 
was  altogether  a  mistake,  and  then  be  wofully  recon 
ciled. 

Two  persons,  by  mutual  agreement,  to  make  their 
wills  in  each  other's  favor,  then  to  wait  impatiently  for 
one  another's  death,  and  both  to  be  informed  of  the  de 
sired  event  at  the  same  time.  Both,  in  most  joyous 
sorrow,  hasten  to  be  present  at  the  funeral,  meet,  and 
find  themselves  both  hoaxed. 

The  story  of  a  man,  cold  and  hard-hearted,  and  ac 
knowledging  no  brotherhood  with  mankind.  At  his 
death  they  might  try  to  dig  him  a  grave,  but,  at  a  little 
space  beneath  the  ground,  strike  upon  a  rock,  as  if  the 
earth  refused  to  receive  the  unnatural  son  into  her 
bosom.  Then  they  would  put  him  into  an  old  sepul 
chre,  where  the  coffins  and  corpses  were  all  turned  to 
dust,  and  so  he  would  be  alone.  Then  the  body  would 
petrify  ;  and  he  having  died  in  some  characteristic  act 


1835.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  13 

and  expression,  he  would  seem,  through  endless  ages  of 
death,  to  repel  society  as  in  life,  and  no  one  would  be 
buried  in  that  tomb  forever. 

Cannon  transformed  to  church-bells. 

A  person,  even  before  middle  age,  may  become  musty 
and  faded  among  the  people  with  whom  he  has  grown 
up  from  childhood ;  but,  by  migrating  to  a  new  place, 
he  appears  fresh  with  the  effect  of  youth,  which  may  be 
communicated  from  the  impressions  of  others  to  his  own 
feelings. 

In  an  old  house,  a  mysterious  knocking  might  be 
heard  on  the  wall,  where  had  formerly  been  a  door 
way,  now  bricked  up. 

It  might  be  stated,  as  the  closing  circumstance  of  a 
tale,  that  the  body  of  one  of  the  characters  had  been 
petrified,  and  still  existed  in  that  state. 

A  young  man  to  win  the  love  of  a  girl,  without  any 
serious  intentions,  and  to  find  that  in  that  love,  which 
might  have  been  the  greatest  blessing  of  his  life,  he  had 
conjured  up  a  spirit  of  mischief  which  pursued  him 
throughout  his  whole  career,  —  and  this  without  any  re 
vengeful  purposes  on  the  part  of  the  deserted  girl. 

Two  lovers,  or  other  persons,  on  the  most  private 
business,  to  appoint  a  meeting  in  what  they  supposed  to 
be  a  place  of  the  utmost  solitude,  and  to  find  it  thronged 
with  people. 


14  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835. 

October  17. — .Some  of  the  oaks  are  now  a  deep 
brown  red  ;  others  are  changed  to  a  light  green,  which, 
at  a  little  distance,  especially  in  the  sunshine,  looks  like 
the  green  of  early  spring.  In  some  trees,  different 
masses  of  the  foliage  show  each  of  those  hues.  Some  of 
the  walnut-trees  have  a  yet  morft  deRcate  green.  Oth 
ers  are  of  a  bright  sunny  yellow. 

Mr. was  married  to  Miss last  Wednesday. 

Yesterday  Mr.  Brazer,  preaching   on    the    comet,  ob 
served  that  not  one,  probably,  of  all  who  heard   him, 

would  witness  its  reappearance.     Mrs. shed  tears. 

Poor  soul !  she  would  be  contented  to  dwell,  in  earthly 
love  to  all  eternity ! 

Some  treasure  or  other  thing  to  be  buried,  and  a  tree 
planted  directly  over  the  spot,  so  as  to  embrace  it  with 
its  roots. 

A  tree,  tall  and  venerable,  to  be  said  by  traditian  fr 
have  been  the  staff  of  some  famous  man,  who  happen?  \ 
to  thrust  it  into  the  ground,  where  it  took  root. 

A  fellow  without  money,  having  a  hundred  and  sev 
enty  miles  to  go,  fastened  a  chain  and  padlock  to  hi' 
legs,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  in  a  field.     He  was  appre 
hended,  and  carried  gratis  to  a  jail  in  the  town  whither 
he  desired  to  go. 

An  old  volume  in  a  large  library,  —  every  one  to  be 
afraid  to  unclasp  and  open  it,  because  i'",  was  said  to  bo 
a  book  of  magic. 


1835.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  15 

A  ghost  seen  by  moonlight ;  when  the  moon  was 
out,  it  would  shine  and  melt  through  the  airy  substance 
of  the  ghost,  as  through  a  cloud. 

Prideaux,  Bishop  of  Worcester,  during  the  sway  of 
the  Parliament  was  forced  to  support  himself  and  his 
family  by  selling  his  household  goods.  A  friend  asked 
him,  "  How  doth  your  lordship  ?  "  "  Never  better  in  my 
life,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  only  I  have  too  great  a  stomach  ; 
for  I  have  eaten  that  little  plate  which  the  sequestrators 
left  me.  I  have  eaten  a  great  library  of  excellent  books. 
I  have  eaten  a  ^reat  deal  of  linen,  much  of  my  brass, 
some  of  my  pewter,  and  now  I  am  come  to  eat  iron  ; 
and  what  will  come  next  I  know  not." 

A  scold  and  a  blockhead,  —  brimstone  and  wood,  — 
a  good  match. 

To  make  one's  own  reflection  in  a  mirror  the  subject 

of  a  story. 

-'-•<».. 

In  a  dream  to  wander  to  some  place  where  may  be 
heard  the  complaints  of  all  the  miserable  on  earth. 

Some  common  quality  or  circumstance  that  should 
bring  together  people  the  most  unlike  in  all  other 
respects,  and  make  a  brotherhood  and  sisterhood  of 
them,  —  the  rich  and  the  proud  finding  themselves  in 
the  same  category  with  the  mean  and  the  despised. 

A  person  to  consider  himself  as  the  prime  mover  of 
certain  remarkable  events,  but  to  discover  that  his  ao 


16  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1835. 

tions  have  not  contributed  in  the  least  thereto.     Anoth 
er  person  to  be  the  cause,  without  suspecting  it. 

October  25.  —  A  person  or  family  long  desires  some 
particular  good.  At  last  it  comes  in  such  profusion 
as  to  be  the  great  pest  of  their  lives. 

A  man,  perhaps  with  a  persuasion  that  he  shall  make 
his  fortune  by  some  singular  means,  and  with  an  eager 
longing  so  to  do,  while  digging  or  boring  for  water,  to 
strike  upon  a  salt-spring. 

To  have  one  event  operate  in  several  places,  —  as, 
for  example,  if  a  man's  head  were  to  be  cut  off  in  one 
town,  men's  heads  to  drop  off  in  several  towns. 

Follow  out  the  fantasy  of  a  man  taking  his  life  by 
instalments,  instead  of  at  one  payment,  —  say  ten  years 
of  life  alternately  with  ten. years  of  suspended  animation. 

Sentiments  in  a  foreign  language,  which  merely  con 
vey  the  sentiment  without  retaining  to  the  reader  any 
graces  of  style  or  harmony  of  sound,  have  somewhat  of 
the  charm  of  thoughts  in  one's  own  mind  that  have  not 
yet  been  put  into  words.  No  possible  words  that  we 
might  adapt  to  them  could  realize  the  unshaped  beauty 
that  they  appear  to  possess.  This  is  the  reason  that 
translations  are  never  satisfactory,  —  and  less  so,  I 
should  think,  to  one  who  cannot  than  to  one  who  can 
pronounce  the  language. 

A   person  to  be  writing  a  tale,  and  to  find    that  it 


1836.  |  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  17 

shapes  itself  against  his  intentions  ;  that  the  characters 
act  otherwise  than  he  thought ;  that  unforeseen  events 
occur  ;  and  a  catastrophe  comes  which  he  strives  in 
vain  to  avert.  It  might  shadow  forth  his  own  fate,  — — 
he  having  made  himself  one  of  the  personages. 

It  is  a  singular  thing,  that,  at  the  distance,  say,  of  five 
feet,  the  work  of  the  greatest  dunce  looks  just  as  well 
as  that  of  the  greatest  genius,  —  that  little  space  being 
all  the  distance  between  genius  and  stupidity. 

Mrs.  Sigourney  says,  after  Coleridge,  that  "  poetry  has 
been  its  own  exceeding  great  reward."  For  the  writ 
ing,  perhaps  ;  but  would  it  be  so  for  the  reading  ? 

Four  precepts :  To  break  off  customs  ;  to  shake  off 
spirits  ill-disposed  ;  to  meditate  on  youth ;  to  do  noth 
ing  against  one's  genius. 

Salem,  August  31,  1836.  —  A  walk,  yesterday,  down 
to  the  shore,  near  the  hospital.  Standing  on  the  old 
grassy  battery,  that  forms  a  semicircle,  and  looking  sea 
ward.  The  sun  not  a  great  way  above  the  horizon,  yet, 
so  far  as  to  give  a  very  golden  brightness,  when  it  shone 
out.  Clouds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sun,  and  nearly  all 
the  rest  of  the  sky  covered  with  clouds  in  masses,  not  a 
gray  uniformity  of  cloud.  A  fresh  breeze  blowing  from 
land  seaward.  If  it  had  been  blowing  from  the  sea,  it 
would  have  raised  it  in  heavy  billows,  and  caused  it  to 
dash  high  against  the  rocks.  But  now  its  surface  was 
not  at  all  commoved  with  billows  ;  there  was  only  rough 
ness  enough  to  take  off  the  gleam,  and  give  it  the  aspect 


18  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

of  iron  after  cooling.  The  clouds  above  added  to  the 
black  appearance.  A  few  sea-birds  were  flitting  over 
the  water,  only  visible  at  moments,  when  they  turned 
their  white  bosoms  towards  me,  —  as  if  they  were  then 
first  created.  The  sunshine  had  a  singular  effect.  The 
clouds  would  interpose  in  such  a  manner  that  some 
objects  were  shaded  from  it,  while  others  were  strongly 
illuminated.  Some  of  the  islands  lay  in  the  shade,  dark 
and  gloomy,  while  others  were  bright  and  favored  spots. 
The  white  light-house  was  sometimes  very  cheerfully 
marked.  There  was  a  schooner  about  a  mile  from  the 
shore,  at  anchor,  laden  apparently  with  lumber.  The 
sea  all  about  her  had  the  black,  iron  aspect  which  I 
have  described ;  but  the  vessel  herself  was  alight. 
Hull,  masts,  and  spars  were  all  gilded,  and  the  rigging 
was  made  of  golden  threads.  A  small  white  streak  of 
foam  breaking  around  the  bows,  which  were  towards  the 
wind.  The  shadowiness  of  the  clouds  overhead  made 
the  effect  of  the  sunlight  strange,  where  it  fell. 

September.  —  The  elm-trees  have  golden  branches  in 
termingled  with  their  green  already,  and  so  they  had  on 
the  first  of  the  month. 

To  picture  the  predicament  of  worldly  people,  if  ad 
mitted  to  paradise. 

As  the  architecture  of  a  country  always  follows  the 
earliest  structures,  American  architecture  should  be  a 
refinement  of  the  log-house.  The  Egyptian  is  so  of 
the  cavern  and  mound  ;  the  Chinese,  of  the  tent ;  the 
Gothic,  of  overarching  trees  ;  the  Gr£ek,  of  a  cabin. 


1836. j  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  19 

"  Though  we  speak  nonsense,  God  will  pick  out  the 
meaning  of  it,"  —  an  extempore  prayer  by  a  New  Eng 
land  divine. 

In  old  times  it  must  have  been  much  less  customary 
than  now  to  drink  pure  water.  Walker  emphatically 
mentions,  among  the  sufferings  of  a  clergyman's  wife 
and  family  in  the  Great  Rebellion,  that  they  were 
forced  to  drink  water,  with  crab-apples  stamped  in  it  to 
relish  it. 

Mr.  Kirby,  author  of  a  work  on  the  History,  Habits, 
and  Instincts  of  Animals,  questions  whether  there  may 
not  be  an  abyss  of  waters  within  the  globe,  communicat 
ing  with  the  ocean,  and  whether  the  huge  animals  of  the 
Saurian  tribe  —  great  reptiles,  supposed  to  be  exclu 
sively  antediluvian,  and  now  extinct  —  may  not  be  in 
habitants  of  it.  He  quotes  a  passage  from  Revelation, 
where  the  creatures  under  the  earth  are  spoken  of  as 
distinct  from  those  of  the  sea,  and  speaks  of  a  Saurian 
fossil  that  has  been  found  deep  in  the  subterranean 
regions.  He  thinks,  or  suggests,  that  these  may  be  the 
dragons  of  Scripture. 

The  elephant  is  not  particularly  sagacious  in  the  wild 
state,  but  becomes  so  when  tamed.  The  fox  directly 
the  contrary,  and  likewise  the  wolf. 

A  modern  Jewish  adage,  —  "  Let  a  man  clothe. him 
self  beneath  his  ability,  his  children  according  to  his 
ability,  and  his  wife  above  his  ability." 

It  is  said  of  the  eagle,  that,  in  however  long  a  flight. 


20  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

he  is  never  seen  to  clap  his  wings  to  his  sides.  He 
seems  to  govern  his  movements  by  the  inclination  of 
his  wings  and  tail  to  the  wind,  as  a  ship  is  propelled  by 
the  action  of  the  wind  on  her  sails. 

In  old  country-houses  in  England,  instead  of  glass  for 
windows,  they  used  wicker,  or  fine  strips  of  oak  dis 
posed  checkerwise.  Horn  was  also  used.  The  windows 
of  princes  and  great  noblemen  were  of  crystal ;  those  of 
Studley  Castle,  Holinshed  says,  of  beryl.  There  were 
seldom  chimneys ;  and  they  cooked  their  meats  by  a 
fire  made  against  an  iron  back  in  the  great  hall. 
Houses,  often  of  gentry,  were  built  of  a  heavy  timber 
frame,  filled  up  with  lath  and  plaster.  People  slept  on 
rough  mats  or  straw  pallets,  with  a  round  log  for  a  pil 
low  ;  seldom  better  beds  than  a  mattress,  with  a  sack  of 
chaff  for  a  pillow. 

October  25.  — A  walk  yesterday  through  Dark  Lane, 
and  home  through  the  village  of  Danvers.  Landscape 
now  wholly  autumnal.  Saw  an  elderly  man  laden 
with  two  dry,  yellow,  rustling  bundles  of  Indian  corn 
stalks, —  a  good  personification  of  Autumn.  Another 
man  hoeing  up  potatoes.  Rows  of  white  cabbages  lay 
ripening.  Fields  of  dry  Indian  corn.  The  grass  has 
still  considerable  greenness.  Wild  rose-bushes  devoid 
of  leaves,  with  their  deep,  bright  red  seed-vessels. 
Meeting- Vmse  in  Danvers  seen  at  a  distance,  with  the 
Bun  ininihg  through  the  windows  of  its  belfry.  Bar 
berry-bushes,  —  the  leaves  now  of  a  brown  red,  still 
juicy  and  healthy ;  very  few  berries  remaining,  mostly 
rrost-bitten  and  wilted.  All  among  the  yet  green  grass, 


1836.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  21 

dry  stalks  of  weeds.     The  down  of  thistles  occasionally 
seen  flying  through  the  sunny  air. 

In  this  dismal  chamber  FAME  was  won.  (Salem, 
Union  Street.) 

Those  who  are  very  difficult  in  choosing  wives  seem  as 
if  they  would  take  none  of  Nature's  ready-made  works, 
but  want  a  woman  manufactured  particularly  to  their 
order. 


A  council  of  the  passengers  in  a  street :  called  by 
somebody  to  decide  upon  some  points  important  to  him, 

Every  individual  has  a  place  to  fill  in  the  world,  and 
is  important  in  some  respects,  whether  he  chooses  to  be 
so  or  not. 


A  Thanksgiving  dinner.  All  the  miserable  on  earth 
are  to  be  invited,  —  as  the  drunkard,  the  bereaved  par 
ent,  the  ruined  merchant,  the  broken-hearted  lover,  the 
poor  widow,  the  old  man  and  woman  who  have  outlived 
their  generation,  the  disappointed  author,  the  wounded, 
sick,  and  broken  soldier,  the  diseased  person,  the  infidel, 
the  man  with  an  evil  conscience,  little  orphan  children 
or  children  of  neglectful  parents,  shall  be  admitted  to  the 
table,  and  many  others.  The  giver  of  the  feast  goes  out 
to  deliver  his  invitations.  Some  of  the  guests  he  meets 
in  the  streets,  some  he  knocks  for  at  the  doors  of  their 
houses.  The  description  must  be  rapid.  But  who  must 
be  the  giver  of  the  feast,  and  what  his  claims  to  preside  ? 
A  man  who  has  never  found  out  what  he  is  fit  for,  who 


22  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

has  unsettled  aims  or  objects  in  life,  and  whose  mincl 
gnaws  him,  making  him  the  sufferer  of  many  kinds  of 
misery.  He  should  meet  some  pious,  old,  sorrowful 
person,  with  more  outward  calamities  than  any  other, 
and  invite  him,  with  a  reflection  that  piety  would  make 
all  that  miserable  company  truly  thankful. 

Merry,  in  "  merry  England,"  does  not  mean  mirthful ; 
but  is  corrupted  from  an  old  Teutonic  word  signifying 
famous  or  renowned. 

In  an  old  London  newspaper,  1678,  there  is  an  adver 
tisement,  among  other  goods  at  auction,  of  a  black  girl, 
about  fifteen  years  old,  to  be  sold. 

We  sometimes  congratulate  ourselves  at  the  moment 
of  waking  from  a  troubled  dream :  it  may  be  so  the 
moment  after  death. 

\j  The  race  of  mankind  to  be  swept  away,  leaving  all 
their  cities  and  works.  Then  another  human  pair  to  be 
placed  in  the  world,  with  native  intelligence  like  Adam 
and  Eve,  but  knowing  nothing  of  their  predecessors  or 
of  their  own  nature  and  destiny.  They,  perhaps,  to  be 
described  as  working  out  this  knowledge  by  their  sym 
pathy  with  what  they  saw,  and  by  their  own  feelings. 

Memorials  of  the  family  of  Hawthorne  in  the  church 
of  the  village  of  Dundry,  Somersetshire,  England.  The 
church  is  ancient  and  small,  and  has  a  prodigiously  high 
tower  of  more  modern  date,  being  erected  in  the  time 
of  Edward  IV.  It  serves  as  a  landmark  ibr  an  amaz 
ing  extent  of  country. 


183C.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  25 

A  singular  fact,  that,  when  man  is  a  brute,  he  is  the 
most  sensual  and  loathsome  of  all  brutes. 

A  snake,  taken  into  a  man's  stomach  and  nourished 
there  from  fifteen  years  to  thirty-five  tormenting  him 
most  horribly.  A  type  of  envy  or  some  other  evil  pas 
sion. 

A  sketch  illustrating  the  imperfect  compensations 
which  time  makes  for  its  devastations  on  the  person,  — 
giving  a  wreath  of  laurel  while  it  causes  baldness,  hon 
ors  for  infirmities,  wealth  for  a  broken  constitution,  — 
and  at  last,  when  a  man  has  everything  that  seems  de 
sirable,  death  seizes  him.  To  contrast  the  man  who  has 
thus  reached  the  summit  of  ambition  with  the  ambitious 
youth. 

Walking  along  the  track  of  the  railroad,  I  observed 
a  place  where  the  workmen  had  bored  a  hole  through 
the  solid  rock,  in  order  to  blast  it ;  but,  striking  a  spring 
of  water  beneath  the  rock,  it  gushed  up  through  the 
hole.  It  looked  as  if  the  water  were  contained  within 
the  rock. 

A  Fancy  Ball,  in  which  the  prominent  American 
writers  should  appear,  dressed  in  character. 

A  lament  for  life's  wasted  sunshine. 

A  new  classification  of  society  to  be  instituted.  In 
stead  of  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  they  are  to  be 
classed,  —  First,  by  their  sorrows :  for  instance,  when-, 
ever  there  are  any,  whether  in  fair  mansion  or  hovel, 


24  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

who  are  mourning  the  loss  of  relations  and  friends,  and 
who  wear  black,  whether  the  cloth  be  coarse  or  super 
fine,  they  are  to  make  one  class.  Secondly,  all  who 
have  the  same  maladies,  whether  they  lie  under  damask 
canopies  or  on  straw  pallets  or  in  the  wards  of  hospi 
tals,  they  are  to  form  one  class.  Thirdly,  all  who  are 
guilty  of  the  same  sins,  whether  the  world  knows  them 
or  not ;  whether  they  languish  in  prison,  looking  for 
ward  to  the  gallows,  or  walk  honored  among  men,  they 
also  form  a  class.  Then  proceed  to  generalize  and 
classify  the  whole  world  together,  as  none  can  claim 
utter  exemption  from  either  sorrow,  sin,  or  disease  ; 
and  if  they  could,  yet  Death,  like  a  great  parent,  comes 
and  sweeps  them  all  through  one  darksome  portal, — 
all  his  children. 

Fortune  to  come  like  a  pedler  with  his  goods,— 
as  wreaths  of  laurel,  diamonds,  crowns  ;  selling  them, 
but  asking  for  them  the  sacrifice  of  health,  of  integrity, 
perhaps  of  iife  in  the  battle-field,  and  of  the  real  pleas 
ures  of  existence.  Who  would  buy,  if  the  price  were  to 
be  paid  down  ? 

Wp,  pjiy*  The  dying  exclamation  of  the  Emperor  Augustus, 
"  Has  it  not  been  well  acted  ? "  An  essay  on  the 
misery  of  being  always  under  a  mask.  A  veil  may  be 
needful,  but  never  a  mask.  Instances  of  people,  who 
wear  masks  in  all  classes  of  society,  and  never  take 
them  off  even  in  the  most  familiar  moments,  though 
sometimes  they  may  chance  to  slip  aside. 

The  various  guises  under  which  Ruin  makes  his  ap« 


1836.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  25 

proaches  to  his  victims :  to  the  merchant,  in  the  guise 
of  a  merchant  offering  speculations ;  to  the  young  heir, 
a  jolly  companion ;  to  the  maiden,  a  sighing,  sentimen 
talist  lover. 

What  were  the  contents  of  the  burden  of  Christian 
in  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  ?  He  must  have  been  taken 
for  a  pedler  travelling  with  his  pack. 

To  think,  as  the  sun  goes  down,  what  events  have 
happened  in  the  course  of  the  day,  —  events  of  ordi 
nary  occurrence  :  as,  the  clocks  have  struck,  the  dead 
have  been  buried. 

Curious  to  imagine  what  murmurings  and  discontent 
would  be  excited,  if  any  of  the  great  so-called  calam 
ities  of  human  beings  were  to  be  abolished,  —  as,  for 
instance,  death. 

Trifles  to  one  are  matters  of  life  and  death  to  an 
other.  As,  for  instance,  a  farmer  desires  a  brisk  breeze 
to  winnow  his  grain ;  and  mariners,  to  blow  them  out 
of  the  reach  of  pirates. 

A  recluse,  like  myself,  or  a  prisoner,  to  measure  time 
by  the  progress  of  sunshine  through  his  chamber. 

Would  it  not  be  wiser  for  people  to  rejoice  at  all 
that  they  now  sorrow  for,  and  vice  versa  ?  To  put  on 
bridal  garments  at  funerals,  and  mourning  at  weddings  ? 
For  their  friends  to  condole  with  them  when  they  at- 
tained  riches  and  honor,  as  only  so  much  care  added  ? 

VOL.    I.  2 


26  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

If  in  a  village  it  were  a  custom  to  hang  a  funeral 
garland  or  other  token  of  death  on  a  house  where  some 
one  had  died,  and  there  to  let  it  remain  till  a  death 
occurred  elsewhere,  and  then  to  hang  that  same  gar 
land  over  the  other  house,  it  would  have,  methmks,  a 
strong  effect. 

No  fountain  so  small  but  that  Heaven  may  be  im 
aged  in  its  bosom. 

v  Fame  !  Some  very  humble  persons  in  a  town  may 
be  said  to  possess  it,  —  as,  the  penny-post,  the  town- 
crier,  the  constable,  —  and  they  are  known  to  every 
body;  while  many  richer,  more  intellectual^  worthier- 
persons  are  unknown  by  the  majority  of  their  fellow- 
citizens.  Something  analogous  in  the  world  at  large. 

V  The  ideas  of  people  in  general  are  not  raised  higher 
than  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  All  their  interests  ex 
tend  over  the  earth's  surface  in  a  layer  of  that  thick 
ness.  The  meeting-house  steeple  reaches  out  of  their 
sphere. 

'  Nobody  will  use  other  people's  experience,  nor  has 
any  of  his  own  till  it  is  too  late  to  use  it. 

Two  lovers  to  plan  the  building  of  a  pleasure-house 
on  a  certain  spot  of  ground,  but  various  seeming  acci 
dents  prevent  it.  Once  they  find  a  group  of  miserable 
children  there;  once  it  is  the  scene  where  crime  ib 
plotted ;  at  last  the  dead  body  of  one  of  the  lovers  or 
of  a  dear  friend  is  found  there  ;  and,  instead  of  a  pleas- 


1836.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  27 

ore-house,  they  build  a  marble  tomb.  The  moral, — 
that  there  is  no  place  on  earth  fit  for  the  site  of  a  pleas 
ure-house,  because  there  is  no  spot  that  may  not  have 
been  saddened  by  human  grief,  stained  by  crime,  or  hal 
lowed  by  death.  It  might  be  three  friends  who  plan 
it,  instead  of  two  lovers ;  and  the  dearest  one  dies. 

Comfort  for  childless  people.  A  married  couple  with 
ten  children  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  about  ten 
funerals. 

A  blind  man  on  a  dark  night  carried  a  torch,  in  or 
der  that  people  might  see  him,  and  not  run  against  him, 
and  direct  him  how  to  avoid  dangers. 

To  picture  a  child's  (one  of  four  or  five  years  old) 
reminiscences  at  sunset  of  a  long  summer's  day, — - 
his  first  awakening,  his  studies,  his  sports,  his  little  fits 
of  passion,  perhaps  a  whipping,  etc. 

The  blind  man's  walk. 

To  picture  a  virtuous  family,  the  different  members 
examples  of  virtuous  dispositions  in  their  way;  then 
introduce  a  vicious  person,  and  trace  out  the  relations 
that  arise  between  him  and  them,  and  the  manner  in 
which  all  are  affected. 

A  man  to  flatter  himself  with  the  idea  that  he  would 
not  be  guilty  of  some  certain  wickedness,  —  as,  for  in 
stance,  to  yield  to  the  personal  temptations  of  the  Devil, 
—  yet  to  find,  ultimately,  that  he  was  at  that  very  time 
committing  that  same  wickedness. 


28  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

* 

$/  ^  What  would  a  man  do,  if  he  were  compelled  to  live 
always  in  the  sultry  heat  of  society,  and  couid  never 
bathe  himself  in  cool  solitude  ? 

A  girl's  lover  to  be  slain  and  buried  in  her  flower- 
garden,  and  the  earth  levelled  over  him.  That  partic 
ular  spot,  which  she  happens  to  plant  with  some  pecu 
liar  variety  of  flowers,  produces  them  of  admirable 
splendor,  beauty,  and  perfume ;  and  she  delights,  with 
an  indescribable  impulse,  to  wear  them  in  her  bosom, 
and  scent  her  chamber  with  them.  Thus  the  classic 
fantasy  would  be  realized,  of  dead  people  transformed 
to  flowers. 

Objects  seen  by  a  magic-lantern  reversed.  A  street, 
or  other  location,  might  be  presented,  where  there  would 
be  opportunity  to  bring  forward  all  objects  of  worldly 
interest,  and  thus  much  pleasant  satire  might  be  the 
result. 

The  Abyssinians,  after  dressing  their  hair,  sleep  with 
their  heads  in  a  forked  stick,  in  order  not  to  discom 
pose  it. 

At  the  battle  of  Edge  Hill,  October  23,  1642,  Cap 
tain  John  Smith,  a  soldier  of  note,  Captain  Lieutenant 
to  Lord  James  Stuart's  horse,  with  only  a  groom,  at 
tacked  a  Parliament  officer,  three  cuirassiers,  and  three 
arquebusiers,  and  rescued  the  royal  standard,  which 
they  had  taken  and  were  guarding.  Was  this  the  Vir 
ginian  Smith? 

Stephen  Go  wans  supposed  that  the  bodies  of  Adam 


IS3G.]  AMERICAit  zjfc-UOOKS.  29 

and  Eve  were  clothed  in  robes  of  light,  which  vanished 
after  their  sin. 

Lord  Chancellor  Clare,  towards  the  close  of  his  life, 
went  to  a  village  church,  where  he  might  not  be  known, 
to  partake  of  the  Sacrament. 

A  missionary  to  the  heathen  in  a  great  city,  to  de 
scribe  his  labors  in  the  manner  of  a  foreign  mission. 


o 


In  the  tenth  century,  mechanism  of  organs  so  clumsy, 
that  one  in  Westminster  Abbey,  with  four  hundred  pipes, 
required  twenty-six  bellows  and  seventy  stout  men. 
First  organ  ever  known  in  Europe  received  by  King 
Pepin,  from  the  Emperor  Constantine  in  757.  Water 
boiling  was  kept  in  a  reservoir  under  the  pipes ;  arid, 
the  keys  being  struck,  the  valves  opened,  and  steam 
rushed  through  with  noise.  The  secret  of  working 
them  thus  is  now  lost.  Then  came  bellows  organs, 
first  used  by  Louis  le  Debonnaire. 

After  the  siege  of  Antwerp,  the  children  played 
marbles  in  the  streets  with  grape  and  cannon  shot. 

A  shell,  in  falling,  buries  itself  in  the  earth,  and,  when 
it  explodes,  a  large  pit  is  made  by  the  earth  being 
blown  about  in  all  directions,  —  large  enough,  some 
times,  to  hold  three  or  four  cart-loads  of  earth.  The 
holes  are  circular. 

A  French  artillery-man  being  buried  in  his  military 
cloak  on  the  ramparts,  a  shell  exploded,  and  unburied 
him. 


30  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1836. 

In  the  Netherlands,  to  form  hedges,  young  trees  are 
interwoven  into  a  sort  of  lattice-work  ;  and,  in  time, 
they  grow  together  at  the  point  of  junction,  so  that  the 
fence  is  all  of  one  piece. 

To  show  the  effect  of  gratified  revenge.  As  an  in 
stance,  merely,  suppose  a  woman  sues  her  lover  for 
breach  of  promise,  and  gets  the  money  by  instalments, 
through  a  long  series  of  years.  At  last,  when  the  mis 
erable  victim  were  utterly  trodden  down,  the  triumpher 
would  have  become  a  veryjfevil  of  evil  passions,  —  they 
having  overgrown  his  whole  nature ;  so  that  a  far 
greater  evil  would  have  come  upon  himself  than  on  his 


to 

victim. 


Anciently,  when  long-buried  bodies  were  found  un- 
decayed  in  the  grave,  a  species  of  sanctity  was  attrib 
uted  to  them. 

Some  chimneys  of  ancient  halls  used  to  be  swept  by 
having  a  culverin  fired  up  them. 

At  Leith,  in  1711,  a  glass  bottle  was  blown  of  the 
capacity  of  two  English  bushels. 

The  buff  and  blue  of  the  Union  were  adopted  by  Fox 
and  the  Whig  party  in  England.  The  Prince  of  Wales 
wore  them. 

In  1621,  a  Mr.  Copinger  left  a  certain  charity,  an 
almshouse,  of  which  four  poor  persons  were  to  partake, 
after  the  death  of  his  eldest  son  and  his  wife.  It  was  a 


1836.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  31 

tenement  and  yard.  The  parson,  headboroughs,  and  his 
five  other  sons  were  to  appoint  the  persons.  At  the 
time  specified,  however,  all  but  one  of  his  sons  were 
dead  ;  and  he  was  in  such  poor  circumstances,  that  he 
obtained  the  benefit  of  the  charity  for  himself,  as  one  of 
the  four. 

A  town  clerk  arranges  the  publishments  that  are 
given  in,  according  to  his  own  judgment. 

To  make  a  story  from  llobert  Raikes  seeing  dirty 
children  at  play,  in  the  streets  of  London,  and  inquiring 
of  a  woman  about  them.  She  tells  him  that  on  Sundays, 
when  they  were  not  employed,  they  were  a  great  deal 
worse,  making  the  streets  like  hell ;  playing  at  church, 
&c.  He  was  therefore  induced  to  employ  women  at  a 
shilling  to  teach  them  on  Sundays,  and  thus  Sunday- 
schools  were  established. 

To  represent  the  different  departments  of  the  United 
States  government  by  village  functionaries.  The  War 
Department  by  watchmen,  the  law  by  constables,  the 
merchants  by  a  variety  store,  &c. 

At  the  accession  of  Bloody  Mary,  a  man,  coming  in 
to  a  house,  sounded  three  times  with  his  mouth,  as  with 
a  trumpet,  and  then  made  proclamation  to  the  family. 
A  bonfire  was  built,  and  little  children  were  made  to 
carry  wood  to  it,  that  they  might  remember  the  circum 
stance  in  old  age.  Meat  and  drink  were  provided  at 
the  bonfires. 

To  describe  a  boyish  combat  with  snowballs,  and  the 


32  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [153S. 

victorious  leader  to  have  a  statue  of  snow  erected  to 
him.  A  satire  on  ambition  and  fame  to  be  made  out 
of  this  idea.  It  might  be  a  child's  story. 

Our  body  to  be  possessed  by  two  different  spirits; 
so  that  half  of  the  visage  shall  express  one  mood,  and 
the  other  half  another. 

An  old  English  sea-captain  desires  to  have  a  fast- 
sailing  ship,  to  keep  a  good  table,  and  to  sail  between 
the  tropics  without  making  land. 

A  rich  man  left  by  will  his  mansion  and  estate  to  a 
poor  couple.  They  remove  into  it,  and  find  there  a 
darksome  servant,  whom  they  are  forbidden  by  will  to 
turn  away.  He  becomes  a  torment  to  them ;  and,  in 
the  finale,  he  turns  out  to  be  the  former  master  of  the 
estate. 

Two  persons  to  be  expecting  some  occurrence,  and 
watching  for  the  two  principal  actors  in  it,  and  to  find 
that  the  occurrence  is  even  then  passing,  and  that  they 
themselves  are  the  two  actors. 

There  is  evil  in  every  human  heart,  which  may  re 
main  latent,  perhaps,  through  the  whole  of  life ;  but  cir 
cumstances  may  rouse  it  to  activity.  To  imagine  such 
circumstances.  A  woman,  tempted  to  be  false  to  her 
husband,  apparently  through  mere  whim,  —  or  a  young 
man  to  feel  an  instinctive  thirst  for  blood,  and  to  com 
mit  murder.  This  appetite  may  be  traced  in  the  popu 
larity  of  criminal  trials.  The  appetite  might  be  ob- 


1836.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  33 

served  first  in  a  child,  and  then  traced  upwards,  mani 
festing  itself  in  crimes  suited  to  every  stage  of  life. 

The  good  deeds  in  an  evil  life,  —  the  generous,  noble, 
and  excellent  actions  done  by  people  habitually  wicked, 
—  to  ask  what  is  to  become  of  them. 

A  satirical  article  might  be  made  out  of  the  idea  of 
an  imaginary  museum,  containing  such  articles  as 
Aaron's  rod,  the  petticoat  of  General  Hawion,  the  pistol 
with  which  Benton  shot  Jackson,  —  and  then  a  dio 
rama,  consisting  of  political  or  other  scenes,  or  done  in 
wax-work.  The  idea  to  be  wrought  out  and  extended. 
Perhaps  it  might  be  the  museum  of  a  deceased  old  man. 

An  article  might  be  made  respecting  various  kinds 
•*f  ruin,  —  ruin  as  regards  property,  —  ruin  of  health,  — 
ruin  of  habits,  as  drunkenness  and  all  kinds  of  debauch 
ery.  —  ruin  of  character,  while  prosperous  in  other  re 
spects,  —  ruin  of  the  soul.  Ruin,  perhaps,  might  be  per 
sonified  as  a  demon,  seizing  its  victims  by  various 
nolds. 

An  article  on  fire,  on  smoke.  Diseases  of  the  mind 
and  soul,  —  even  more  common  than  bodily  diseases. 

Tarleton,  of  the  Revolution,  is  said  to  have  been  one 
of  the  two  handsomest  men  in  Europe,  —  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  afterwards  George  IV.,  being  the  other. 
Some  authorities,  however,  have  represented  him  as 
ungainly  in  person  and  rough  in  manners.  Tarleton 
was  originally  bred  to  the  law,  but  quitted  law  for 
2*  c 


34  AMERICAN    NOTE  -BOOKS.  [1837, 

the  army  early  in  life.  He  was  son  to  a  mayor  of 
Liverpool,  born  in  1754,  of  ancient  family.  He  wrote 
his  own  memoirs  after  returning  from  America.  After 
wards  in  Parliament.  Never  afterwards  distinguished 
in  arms.  Created  baronet  in  1818,  and  died  childless  in 
1833.  Thought  he  was  not  sufficiently  honored  among 
more  modern  heroes.  Lost  part  of  his  right  hand  in 
battle  of  Guildford  Court  House.  A  man  of  pleasure  in 
England. 

It  would  be  a  good  idea  for  a  painter  to  paint  a  pic 
ture  of  a  great  actor,  representing  him  in  several  differ 
ent  characters  of  one  scene,  —  lago  and  Othello,  for  in 
stance. 

Maine,  July  5,  1837.  —  Here  I  am,  settled  since  night 

before    last    with    B ,  and   living    very    singularly. 

He  leads  a  bachelor's  life  in  his  paternal  mansion,  only 
a  small  part  of  which  is  occupied  by  a  family  who  serve 
him.  He  provides  his  own  breakfast  and  supper,  and 
occasionally  his  dinner  ;  though  this  is  oftener,  I  believe, 
taken  at  the  hotel,  or  an  eating-house,  or  with  some  of 
his  relatives.  I  am  his  guest,  and  my  presence  makes 
no  alteration  in  his  way  of  life.  Our  fare,  thus  far,  has 
consisted  of  bread,  butter,  and  cheese,  crackers,  herrings, 
boiled  eggs,  coffee,  milk,  and  claret  wine.  He  has  an 
other  inmate,  in  the  person  of  a  queer  little  Frenchman, 
who  has  his  breakfast,  tea,  and  lodging  here,  and  finds 

his  dinner  elsewhere.     Monsieur  S does  not  appear 

to  be  more  than  twenty-one  years  old,  —  a  diminutive 
figure,  with  eyes  askew,  and  otherwise  of  an  ungainly 
physiognomy  ;  he  is  ill-dressed  also,  in  a  coarse  blue 


i 837-1  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  $5 

coat,  thin  cotton  pantaloons,  and  unbrushed  boots  ;  alto 
gether  with  as  little  of  French  coxcombry  as  can  well 
be  imagined,  though  with  something  of  the  monkey  as 
pect  inseparable  from  a  little  Frenchman.  He  is,  nev 
ertheless,  an  intelligent  and  well-informed  man,  appar 
ently  of  extensive  reading  in  his  own  language,  —  a 
philosopher,  B tells  me,  and  an  infidel.  His  insig 
nificant  personal  appearance  stands  in  the  way  of  his 
success,  and  prevents  him  from  receiving  the  respect 
which  is  really  due  to  his  talents  and  acquirements; 
wherefore  he  is  bitterly  dissatisfied  with  the  country  and 

fts  inhabitant?,  and  often  expresses  his  feelings  to  B • 

(who  has  gained  his  confidence  to  a  certain  degree)  in 
very  strong  terms. 

Thus  here  are  three  characters,  each  with  something 
out  of  the  common  way,  living  together  somewhat  like 

monks.     B ,  our   host,    combines    more   high   and 

admirable  qualities,  of  that  sort  which  make  up  a  gentle 
man,  than  any  other  that  I  have  met  with.  Polished,  yet 
natural,  frank,  open,  and  straightforward,  yet  with  a 
delicate  feeling  for  the  sensitiveness  of  his  companions ; 
of  excellent  temper  and  warm  heart;  well  acquainted 
with  tho  world,  with  a  keen  faculty  of  observation,  which 
he  has  had  many  opportunities  of  exercising,  and  never 
varying  from  ft  code  of  honor  and  principle  which  is 
really  nice  and  ripd  in  its  way.  There  is  a  sort  of 
philosophy  developing  itself  in  him  which  will  not  im 
possibly  cause  him  to  settle  down  in  this  or  some  other 
equally  singular  course  of  life.  He  seems  almost  to 
have  made  up  his  mind  never  to  be  married,  which 
I  wonder  at ;  for  he  has  strong  affections,  and  is  fond 
both  of  women  ar>d  children. 


36  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

Th«  little  Frenchman  impresses  me  very  strongly,  too, 
—  so  lonely  as  he  is  here,  struggling  against  the  world, 
with  bitter  feelings  in  his  breast,  and  yet  talking  with  the 
vivacity  and  gayety  of  his  nation  ;  making  this  his  home 
from  darkness  to  daylight,  and  enjoying  here  what  little 
domestic  comfort  and  confidence  there  is  for  him ;  and 
then  going  about  all  the  livelong  day,  teaching  French 
to  blockheads  who  sneer  at  him,  and  returning  at  about 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  (for  I  was  wrong  in  saying  he 
supped  here,  —  he  eats  no  supper)  to  his  solitary  room 

and  bed.     Before  retiring,  he  goes  to  B 's  bedside, 

and,  if  he  finds  him  awake,  stands  talking  French,  ex 
pressing  his  dislike  of  the  Americans,  —  "  Je  hais,je 
hais  les  Yankees  !  "  —  thus  giving  vent  to  the  stifled  bit 
terness  of  the  whole  day.  In  the  morning  I  hear  him 
getting  up  early,  at  sunrise  or  before,  humming  to  him 
self,  scuffling  about  his  chamber  with  his  thick  boots,  and 
at  last  taking  his  departure  for  a  solitary  ramble  till 
breakfast.  Then  he  comes  in,  cheerful  and  vivacious 
enough,  eats  pretty  heartily,  and  is  off  again,  singing 
French  chansons  as  he  goes  down  the  gravel-walk.  The 
poor  fellow  has  nobody  to  sympathize  with  him  but 

B ,  and  thus  a   singular  connection  is   established 

between  two  utterly  different  characters. 
I/  Then  here  is  myself,  who  am  likewise  a  queer  char 
acter  in  my  way,  and  have  come  to  spend  a  week  or 
two  with  my  friend  of  half  a  lifetime,  —  the  longest 
space,  probably,  that  we  are  ever  destined  to  spend  to 
gether  ;  for  Fate  seems  preparing  changes  for  both  of 
us.  My  circumstances,  at  least,  cannot  long  continue 
as  they  are  and  have  been  ;  and  B ,  too,  stands  be 
tween  high  prosperity  and  utter  ruin. 


1837.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  37 

V/t/J  think  I  should  soon  become  strongly  attached  to 
our  way  of  life,  so  independent  and  untroubled  by  the 
forms  and  restrictions  of  society.  The  house  is  very 
pleasantly  situated,  —  half  a  mile  distant  from  where 
the  town  begins  to  be  thickly  settled,  and  on  a  swell  of 
land,  with  the  road  running  at  a  distance  of  fifty  yards, 
and  a  grassy  tract  and  a  gravel-walk  between.  Beyond 
the  road  rolls  the  Kennebec,  here  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  wide.  Putting  my  head  out  of  the  window,  I 
can  see  it  flowing  steadily  along  straightway  between 
wooded  banks  ;  but  arriving  nearly  opposite  the  house, 
there  is  a  large  and  level  sand  island  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream  ;  and  just  below  the  island  the  current  is 
further  interrupted  by  the  works  of  the  mill-dam,  which 
is  perhaps  half  finished,  yet  still  in  so  rude  a  state  that 
it  looks  as  much  like  the  ruins  of  a  dam  destroyed  by 
the  spring  freshets  as  like  the  foundations  of  a  dam  yet 
to  be.  Irishmen  and  Canadians  toil  at  work  on  it,  and 
the  echoes  of  their  hammering  and  of  the  voices  come 
across  the  river  and  up  to  this  window.  Then  there  is 
a  sound  of  the  wind  among  the  trees  round  the  house  ; 
and,  when  that  is  silent,  the  calm,  full,  distant  voice  of 
the  river  becomes  audible.  Looking  downward  thither, 
I  see  the  rush  of  the  current,  and  mark  the  different 
eddies,  with  here  and  there  white  specks  or  streaks 
of  foam ;  and  often  a  log  comes  floating  on,  glistening 
in  the  sun,  as  it  rolls  over  among  the  eddies,  having 
voyaged,  for  aught  I  know,  hundreds  of  miles  from  the 
wild  upper  sources  of  the  river,  passing  down,  down, 
between  lines  of  forest,  and  sometimes  a  rough  clearing, 
till  here  it  floats  by  cultivated  banks,  and  will  soc^i  pass 
by  the  village.  Sometimes  a  long  raft  of  board*  "v>*\y\i 


38  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

along,  requiring  the  nicest  skill  in  navigating  it  through 
the  narrow  passage  left  by  the  mill-dam.  Chaises  and 
wagons  occasionally  go  over  the  road,  the  riders  all 
giving  a  passing  glance  at  the  dam,  or  perhaps  alight 
ing  to  examine  it  more  fully,  and  at  last  departing  with 
ominous  shakes  of  the  head  as  to  the  result  of  the  en 
terprise.  My  position  is  so  far  retired  from  the  river 
and  mill-dam,  that,  though  the  latter  is  really  rather  a 
scene,  yet  a  sort  of  quiet  seems  to  be  diffused  over  the 
whole.  Two  or  three  times  a  day  this  quiet  is  broken 
by  the  sudden  thunder  from  a  quarry,  where  the  work 
men  are  blasting  rocks  ;  and  a  peal  of  thunder  sounds 
strangely  in  such  a  green,  sunny,  and  quiet  landscape, 
with  the  blue  sky  brightening  the  river. 

I  have  not  seen  much  of  the  people.  There  have 
been,  however,  several  incidents  which  amused  me, 
though  scarcely  worth  telling.  A  passionate  tavern- 
keeper,  quick  as  a  flash  of  gunpowder,  a  nervous  man, 
and  showing  in  his  demeanor,  it  seetns,  a  consciousness 
of  his  infirmity  of  temper.  I  was  a  witness  of  a  scuf 
fle  of  his  with  a  drunken  guest.  The  tavern-keeper, 
after  they  were  separated,  raved  like  a  madman,  and  in 
a  tone  of  voice  having  a  drolly  pathetic  or  lamentable 
sound  mingled  with  its  rage,  as  if  he  were  lifting  up 
his  voice  to  weep.  Then  he  jumped  into  a  chaise 
which  was  standing  by,  whipped  up  the  horse,  and 
drove  off  rapidly,  as  if  to  give  his  fury  vent  in  that 
way. 

On  the  morning  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  two  printer's 
apprentice-lads,  nearly  grown,  dressed  in  jackets  and 
very  tight  pantaloons  of  check,  tight  as  their  skins,  so 
that  they  looked  like  harlequins  or  circus-clowns,  yet 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  30 

appeared  to  think  themselves  in  perfect  propriety,  with 
a  very  calm  and  quiet  assurance  of  the  admiration  of 
the  town.  A  common  fellow,  a  carpenter,  who,  on  the 
strength  of  political  partisanship,  asked  B 's  assist 
ance  in  cutting  out  great  letters  from  play-bills  in  order 
to  print  "  Martin  Van  Buren  Forever"  on  a  flag;  but 

B refused.     B seems  to  be  considerably  of  a 

favorite  with  the  lower  orders,  especially  with  the  Irish 
man  and  French  Canadians,  —  the  latter  accosting  him 
in  the  street,  and  asking  his  assistance  as  an  interpreter 
in  making  their  bargains  for  work. 

I  meant   to  dine  at  the  hotel  with   B to-day ; 

but  having  returned  to  the  house,  leaving  him  to  do 
some  business  in  the  village,  I  found  myself  unwill 
ing  to  move  when  the  dinner-hour  approached,  and 
therefore  dined  very  well  on  bread,  cheese,  and  eggs. 
Nothing  of  much  interest  takes  place.  We  live  very  com 
fortably  in  our  bachelor  establishment  on  a  cold  shoul 
der  of  mutton,  with  ham  and  smoked  beef  and  boiled 
eggs ,  and  as  to  drinkables,  we  had  both  claret  and 
Drown  sherry  on  the  dinner-table  to-day.  Last  evening 
we  had  a  long  literary  and  philosophical  conversation 
with  Monsieur  S .  He  is  rather  remarkably  well- 
informed  for  a  man  of  his  age,  and  seems  to  have  very 
just  notions  on  ethics,  etc.,  though  damnably  perverted 
as  to  religion.  It  is  strange  to  hear  philosophy  of  any 
sort  from  such  a  boyish  figure.  "  We  philosophers," 
he  is  fond  of  saying,  to  distinguish  himself  and  big 
Drethren  from  the  Christians.  One  of  his  oddities  is, 
that,  while  steadfastly  maintaining  an  opinion  that  he  is 
a  very  small  and  slow  eater,  and  that  we,  in  common 
with  other  Yankees,  eat  immensely  and  fast,  he  actually 


40  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

eats  both  faster  and  longer  than  we  do,  and  devours, 
as  B avers,  more  victuals  than  both  of  us  together. 

Saturday,  July  8th.  —  Yesterday  afternoon,  a  stroll 

•with  B up  a  large  brook,  he  fishing  for  trout,  and 

I  looking  on.  The  brook  runs  through  a  valley,  on 
one  side  bordered  by  a  high  and  precipitous  bank ;  on 
the  other  there  is  an  interval,  and  then  the  bank  rises 
upward  and  upward  into  a  high  hill  with  gorges  and 
ravines  separating  one  summit  from  another,  and  here 
and  there  are  bare  places,  where  the  rain-streams  have 
washed  away  the  grass.  The  brook  is  bestrewn  with 
stones,  some  bare,  some  partially  moss-grown,  and 
sometimes  so  huge  as  —  once  at  least  —  to  occupy 
almost  the  whole  breadth  of  the  current.  Amongst 
these  the  stream  brawls,  only  that  this  word  does  not 
express  its  good-natured  voice,  and  "  murmur "  is  too 
quiet.  It  sings  along,  sometimes  smooth,  with  the 
pebbles  visible  beneath,  sometimes  rushing  dark  and 
swift,  eddying  and  whitening  past  some  rock,  or  under 
neath  the  hither  or  the  farther  bank;  and  at  these 

places  B cast  his  line,  and  sometimes  drew  out  a 

trout,  small,  not  more  than  five  or  six  inches  long. 
The  farther  we  went  up  the  brook,  the  wilder  it  grew. 
The  opposite  bank  was  covered  with  pines  and  hem 
locks,  ascending  high  upwards,  black  and  solemn.  One 
knew  that  there  must  be  almost  a  precipice  behind,  yet 
we  could  not  see  it.  At  the  foot  you  could  spy,  a  little 
way  within  the  darksome  shade,  the  roots  and  branches 
of  the  trees ;  but  soon  all  sight  was  obstructed  amidst 
the  trunks.  On  the  hither  side,  at  first  the  bank  was 
bare,  then  fringed  with  alder-bushes,  bending  and  dip- 


J837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  41 

ping  into  the  stream,  which,  farther  on,  flowed  through 
the  midst  of  a  forest  of  maple,  beech,  and  other  trees, 
its  course  growing  wilder  and  wilder  as  we  proceeded. 
For  a  considerable  distance  there  was  a  causeway,  built 
long  ago  of  logs,  to  drag  lumber  upon  ;  it  was  now  de 
cayed  and  rotten,  a  red  decay,  sometimes  sunken  down 
in  the  midst,  here  and  there  a  knotty  trunk  stretching 
across,  apparently  sound.  The  sun  being  now  low 
towards  the  west,  a  pleasant  gloom  and  brightness  were 
diffused  through  the  forest,  spots  of  brightness  scattered 
upon  the  branches,  or  thrown  down  in  gold  upon  the 
last  year's  leaves  among  the  trees.  At  last  we  came  to 
where  a  dam  had  been  built  across  the  brook  many 
years  ago,  and  was  now  gone  to  ruin,  so  as  to  make  the 
spot  look  more  solitary  and  wilder  than  if  man  had 
never  left  vestiges  of  his  toil  there.  It  was  a  frame 
work  of  logs  with  a  covering  of  plank  sufficient  to  ob 
struct  the  onward  flow  of  the  brook;  but  it  found  its 
way  past  the  side,  and  came  foaming  and  struggling 
along  among  scattered  rocks.  Above  the  dam  there 
was  a  broad  and  deep  pool,  one  side  of  which  was  bor 
dered  by  a  precipitous  wall  of  rocks,  as  smooth  as  if 
hewn  out  and  squared,  and  piled  one  upon  another, 
above  which  rose  the  forest.  On  the  other  side  there 
was  still  a  gently  shelving  bank,  and  the  shore  was  cov 
ered  with  tall  trees,  among  which  I  particularly  re 
marked  a  stately  pine,  wholly  devoid  of  bark,  rising 
white  in  aged  and  majestic  ruin,  thrusting  out  its  bark- 
less  arms.  It  must  have  stood  there  in  death  many 
years,  its  own  ghost.  Above  the  dam  the  brook  flowed 
through  the  forest,  a  glistening  and  babbling  water-path, 
illuminated  by  the  sun,  which  sent  its  rays  almost 


42  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [183^ 

straight  along  its  course.  It  was  as  lovely  and  wild 
and  peaceful  as  it  could  possibly  have  been  a  hundred 
years  ago ;  and  the  traces  of  labors  of  men  long  departed 
added  a  deeper  peace  to  it.  I  bathed  in  the  pool,  and 
then  pursued  my  way  down  beside  the  brook,  growing 
dark  with  a  pleasant  gloom,  as  the  sun  sank  and  the 

water  became  more  shadowy.     B says  that  there 

was  formerly  a  tradition,  that  the  Indians  used  to  go  up 
this  brook,  and  return,  after  a  brief  absence,  with  large 
masses  of  lead,  which  they  sold  at  the  trading-stations 
in  Augusta  ;  whence  there  has  always  been  an  idea  that 
there  is  a  lead  mine  hereabouts.  Great  toadstools  were 
under  the  trees,  and  some  small  ones  as  yellow  and 
almost  the  size  of  a  half-broiled  yolk  of  an  egg.  Straw 
berries  were  scattered  along  the  brookside. 

Dined  at  the  hotel  or  Mansion  House  to-day.  Men 
were  playing  checkers  in  the  parlor.  The  Marshal  of 
Maine,  a  corpulent,  jolly  fellow,  famed  for  humor.  A 
passenger  left  by  the  stage,  hiring  an  express  onward. 
A  bottle  of  champagne  was  quaffed  at  the  bar. 

July  Sth.  —  Went  with  B to  pay  a  visit  to  the 

shanties  of  the  Irish  and  Canadians.  He  says  that  they 
sell  and  exchange  these  small  houses  among  themselves 
continually.  They  may  be  built  in  three  or  four  days, 
and  are  valued  at  four  or  five  dollars.  When  the  turf 
that  is  piled  against  the  walls  of  some  of  them  becomes 
covered  with  grass,  it  makes  quite  a  picturesque  object. 
It  was  almost  dusk  —  just  candle-lighting  time  —  when 
we  visited  them.  A  young  Frenchwoman,  with  a  baby 
in  her  arms,  came  to  the  door  of  one  of  them,  smiling, 
and  looking  pretty  and  happy.  Her  husband,  a  dark, 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  43 

black-haired,  lively  little  fellow,  caressed  the  child, 
laughing  and  singing  to  it ;  and  there  was  a  red-bearded 
Irishman,  who  likewise  fondled  the  little  brat.  Then 
we  could  hear  them  within  the  hut,  gabbling  merrily, 
and  could  see  them*  moving  about  briskly  in  the  candle 
light,  through  the  window  and  open  door.  An  old 
Irishwoman  sat  in  the  door  of  another  hut,  under  the 
influence  of  an  extra  dose  of  rum,  —  she  being  an  old 
lady  of  somewhat  dissipated  habits.  She  called  to 

!B ,  and  began  to  talk  to  him  about  her  resolution 

not  to  give  up  her  house :  for  it  is  his  design  to  get  her 
out  of  it.  She  is  a  true  virago,  and,  though  somewhat 
restrained  by  respect  for  him,  she  evinced  a  sturdy  de 
sign  to  remain  here  through  the  winter,  or  at  least  for 
a  considerable  time  longer.  He  persisting,  she  took  her 
stand  in  the  doorway  of  the  hut,  and  stretched  out  her 
fist  in  a  very  Amazonian  attitude.  "Nobody,"  quoth 
she,  "shall  drive  me  out  of  this  house,  till  my  praties 
are  out  of  the  ground."  Then  would  she  wheedle  and 
laugh  and  blarney,  beginning  in  a  rage,  and  ending  as  if 
she  had  been  in  jest.  Meanwhile  her  husband  stood  by 
very  quiet,  occasionally  trying  to  still  her ;  but  it  is  to 
be  presumed,  that,  after  our  departure,  they  came  to 
blows,  it  being  a  custom  with  the  Irish  husbands  and 
wives  to  settle  their  disputes  with  blows ;  and  it  is  said 
the  woman  often  proves  the  better  man.  The  different 
families  also  have  battles,  and  occasionally  the  Irish 
fight  with  the  Canadians.  The  latter,  however,  are 
much  the  more  peaceable,  never  quarrelling  among 
themselves,  and  seldom  with  their  neighbors.  They 
are  frugal,  and  often  go  back  to  Canada  with  consider 
able  sums  of  money.  B has  gained  much  influence 


44  AMERICAN   NO1  E-BOOKS.  [1837 

both  with  the  Irish  and  the  French,  —  with  the  latter 
by  dint  of  speaking  to  them  in  their  own  language.  Re 
is  the  umpire  in  their  disputes,  and  their  adviser,  and 
they  look  up  to  him  as  a  protector  and  patron-friend. 
I  have  been  struck  to  see  with  what  careful  integrity 
and  wisdom  he  manages  matters  among  them,  hitherto 
having  known  him  only  as  a  free  and  gay  young  man. 
He  appears  perfectly  to  understand  their  general  char 
acter,  of  which  he  gives  no  very  flattering  description 
In  these  huts,  less  than  twenty  feet  square,  he  tells  me 
that  upwards  of  twenty  people  have  sometimes  been 
lodged. 

A  description  of  a  young  lady  who  had  formerly  been 
insane,  and  now  felt  the  approach  of  a  new  fit  of  mad 
ness.  She  had  been  out  to  ride,  had  exerted  herself 
much,  and  had  been  very  vivacious.  On  her  return, 
she  sat  down  in  a  thoughtful  and  despondent  attitude, 
looking  very  sad,  but  one  of  the  loveliest  objects  that 
ever  were  seen.  The  family  spoke  to  her,  but  she 
made  no  answer,  nor  took  the  least  notice ;  but  still  sat 
like  a  statue  in  her  chair,  —  a  statue  of  melancholy  and 
beauty.  At  last  they  led  her  awa_y  to  her  chamber. 

We  went  to  meeting  this  forenoon.  I  saw  nothing 
remarkable,  unless  a  little  girl  in  the  next  pew  to  us, 
three  or  four  years  old,  who  fell  asleep,  with  her  head 
in  the  lap  of  her  maid,  and  looked  very  pretty  :  a  pic 
ture  of  sleeping  innocence. 

July  llth,  Tuesday.  —  A  drive  with  B to  Hal- 

lowell,  yesterday,  where  we  dined,  and  afterwards  to 
Gardiner.  The  most  curious  object  in  this  latter  place 
was  the  elegant  new  mansion  of .  It  stands  on  the 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 


-Library. 

45 


site  of  his  former  dwelling,  which  was 
Thp  new  building  was  estimated  to  cost  about  thirty 
thousand  dollars  ;  but  twice  as  much  has  already  been 
expended,  and  a  great  deal  more  will  be  required  to  com 
plete  it.  It  is  certainly  a  splendid  structure  ;  the 
material,  granite  from  the  vicinity.  At  the  angles  it 
has  small,  circular  towers  ;  the  portal  is  lofty  and  im 
posing.  Relatively  to  the  general  style  of  domestic 
architecture  in  our  country,  it  well  deserves  the  name 
of  castle  or  palace.  Its  situation,  too,  is  fine,  far  retired 
from  the  public  road,  and  attainable  by  a  winding 
carriage-drive  ;  standing  amid  fertile  fields,  and  with 
large  trees  in  the  vicinity.  There  is  also  a  beautiful 
view  from  the  mansion,  adown  the  Kennebec. 

Beneath  some  of  the  large  trees  we  saw  the  remains 
of  circular  seats,  whereupon  the  family  used  to  sit 
before  the  former  house  was  burned  down.  There  was 
no  one  now  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place,  save  a  man  and 
a  yoke  of  oxen  ;  and  what  he  was  about,  I  did  not 
ascertain.  Mr.  -  at  present  resides  in  a  small  dwell 
ing,  little  more  than  a  cottage,  beside  the  main  road, 
not  far  from  the  gateway  which  gives  access  to  his 
palace. 

At  Gardiner,  on  the  wharf,  I  witnessed  the  starting 
of  the  steamboat  New  England  for  Boston.  There 
was  quite  a  collection  of  people,  looking  on  or  taking 
leave  of  passengers,  —  the  steam  puffing,  —  stages  ar 
riving,  full-freighted  with  ladies  and  gentlemen.  A  man 
was  one  moment  too  late  ;  but  running  along  the  gun 
wale  of  a  mud-scow,  and  jumping  into  a  skiff,  he  was 
put  on  board  by  a  black  fellow.  The  dark  cabin, 
wherein,  descending  from  the  sunshiny  deck,  it  was 


46  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [l83/. 

difficult  to  discern  the  furniture,  looking-glasses,  and 
mahogany  wainscoting.  I  rnet  two  old  college  acquaint 
ances,  —  0 ,  who  was  going  to  Boston,  and  B , 

with  whom  we  afterwards  drank  a  glass  of  wine  at  the 
hotel. 

B ,  Mons.  S ,  and  myself  continue  to  live  in 

the  same  style  as  heretofore.  We  appear  mutually  to 

be  very  well  pleased  with  each  other.  Mons.  S 

displays  many  comical  qualities,  and  manages  to  insure 
us  several  hearty  laughs  every  morning  and  evening,  — 
those  being  the  seasons  when  we  meet.  I  am  going  to 
take  lessons  from  him  in  the  pronunciation  of  French, 
Of  female  society  I  see  nothing.  The  only  petticoat 
that  comes  within  our  premises  appertains  to  Nancy,  the 
pretty,  dark- eyed  maid-servant  of  the  man  who  lives  in 
the  other  part  of  the  house. 

On  the  road  from  Hallowell  to  Augusta  we  saw  little 
booths,  in  two  places,  erected  on  the  roadside,  where 
boys  offered  beer,  apples,  etc.,  for  sale.  We  passed  an 
Irishwoman  with  a  child  in  her  arms,  and  a  heavy  bun 
dle,  and  afterwards  an  Irishman  with  a  light  bundle, 
sitting  by  the  highway.  They  were  husband  and  wife ; 

and  B says  that  an  Irishman  and  his  wife,  on 

their  journeys,  do  not  usually  walk  side  by  side,  but 
that  the  man  gives  the  woman  the  heaviest  burden  to 
carry,  and  walks  on  lightly  ahead ! 

A  thought  comes  into  my  mind :  Which  sort  of  house 
excites  the  most  contemptuous  feelings  in  the  beholder, 
» — such  a  house  as  Mr. — — 's,  all  circumstances  con 
sidered,  or  the  board-built  and  turf-buttressed  hovels  of 
these  wild  Irish,  scattered  about  as  if  they  had  sprung 
up  like  mushrooms,  in  the  dells  and  gorges,  and  along 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  47 

the  banks  of  the  river?  Mushrooms,  by  the  way, 
spring  up  where  the  roots  of  an  old  tree  are  hidden  un 
der  the  ground. 

Thursday,  July  13th.  —  Two  small  Canadian  boys 
came  to  our  house  yesterday,  with  strawberries  to  sell. 
It  sounds  strangely  to  hear  children  bargaining  in 
French  on  the  borders  of  Yankee-land.  Among  other 
languages  spoken  hereabouts  must  be  reckoned  the  wild 
Irish.  Some  of  the  laborers  on  the  mill-dam  can  speak 
nothing  else.  The  intermixture  of  foreigners  some 
times  gives  rise  to  quarrels  between  them  and  the 
natives.  As  we  were  going  to  the  village  yesterday 
afternoon,  we  witnessed  the  beginning  of  a  quarrel  be 
tween  a  Canadian  and  a  Yankee,  —  the  latter  accusing 

the  former  of  striking  his  oxen.  B thrust  himself 

between  and  parted  them;  but  they  afterwards  renewed 
their  fray,  and  the  Canadian,  I  believe,  thrashed  the 
Yankee  soundly, — for  which  he  had  to  pay  twelve  dol 
lars.  Yet  he  was  but  a  little  fellow. 

Coming  to  the  Mansion  House  about  supper-time,  we 
found  somewhat  of  a  concourse  of  people,  the  Governor 
and  Council  being  in  session  on  the  subject  of  the  dis 
puted  territory.  The  British  have  lately  imprisoned  a 
man  who  was  sent  to  take  the  census ;  and  the  Main- 
iacs  are  much  excited  on  the  subject.  They  wish  the 
Governor  to  order  out  the  militia  at  once,  and  take  pos 
session  of  the  territory  with  the  strong  hand.  There 
was  a  British  army-captain  at  the  Mansion  House  ;  and 
an  idea  was  thrown  out  that  it  would  be  as  well  to 
seize  upon  him  as  a  hostage.  I  would,  for  the  joke's 
Bake,  that  it  had  been  done.  Personages  at  the  tavern 


48  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

the  Governor,  somewhat  stared  after  as  he  walked 
through  the  bar-room  ;  Councillors  seated  about,  sitting 
on  benches  near  the  bar,  or  on  the  stoop  along  the  front 
cf  the  house  ;  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  State ;  two 
young  Blue-Noses,  from  Canada  or  the  Provinces ;  a 
gentleman  "thumbing  his  hat"  for  liquor,  or  perhaps 
playing  off  the  trick  of  the  "  honest  landlord  "  on  some 
stranger.  The  decanters  and  wine-bottles  on  the  move, 
and  the  beer  and  soda  founts  pouring  out  continual 
streams,  with  a  whiz.  Stage-drivers,  etc.,  asked  to 
drink  with  the  aristocracy,  and  mine  host  treating  and 
being  treated.  Rubicund  faces ;  breaths  odorous  of 
brandy  and  water.  Occasionally  the  pop  of  a  cham 
pagne  cork. 

Returned  home,  and  took  a  lesson  in  French  of 
Mons.  S .  I  like  him  very  much,  and  have  sel 
dom  met  with  a  more  honest,  simple,  and  apparently  so 
well-principled  a  man ;  which  good  qualities  I  impute 
to  his  being,  by  the  father's  side,  of  German  blood.  He 
looks  more  like  a  German  —  or,  as  he  says,  like  a 
Swiss  —  than  a  Frenchman,  having  very  light  hair  and 
a  light  complexion,  and  not  a  French  expression.  He 
is  a  vivacious  little  fellow,  and  wonderfully  excitable  to 
mirth;  and  it  is  truly  a  sight  to  see  him  laugh;  —  ev 
ery  feature  partakes  of  his  movement,  and  even  his 
whole  body  shares  in  it,  as  he  rises  and  dances  about 
the  room.  He  has  great  variety  of  conversation,  com 
mensurate  with  his  experiences  in  life,  and  sometimes 
will  talk  Spanish,  ore  rotunda,  —  sometimes  imitate  the 
Catholic  priests,  chanting  Latin  songs  for  the  dead,  in 
deep,  gruff,  awful  tones,  producing  really  a  very  strong 
impression,  —then  he  will  break  out  into  a  light,  French 


1&37.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  49 

song,  perhaps  of  love,  perhaps  of  war,  acting  it  out,  as  if 
on  the  stage  of  a  theatre  :  all  this  intermingled  with 
continual  fun,  excited  by  the  incidents  of  the  passing 
moment.  He  has  Frenchified  all  our  names,  calling 

B Monsieur  Du  Pont,  myself  M.  de  L'Aubepine, 

and  himself  M.  le  Berger,  and  all,  Knights  of  the 
Round-Table.  And  we  live  in  great  harmony  and 
brotherhood,  as  queer  a  life  as  anybody  leads,  and  as 
queer  a  set  as  may  be  found  anywhere.  In  his  more 
serious  intervals,  he  talks  philosophy  and  deism,  and 
preaches  obedience  to  the  law  of  reason  and  morality ; 
which  law  he  says  (and  I  believe  him)  he  has  so  well 
observed,  that,  notwithstanding  his  residence  in  dissolute 
countries,  he  has  never  yet  been  sinful.  He  wishes  me 
eight  or  nine  weeks  hence,  to  accompany  him  on  foot  to 
Quebec,  and  then  to  Niagara  and  New  York.  I  should 
like  it  well,  if  my  circumstances  and  other  considera 
tions  would  permit.  What  pleases  much  in  Mons. 

S is  the  simple  and  childlike  enjoyment  he  finds  in 

trifles,  and  the  joy  with  which  he  speaks  of  going  back 
to  his  own  country,  away  from  the  dull  Yankees,  who 
here  misunderstand  and  despise  him.  Yet  I  have  never 
heard  him  speak  harshly  of  them.  I  rather  think  that 

B and  I  will  be  remembered  by  him  with  more 

pleasure  than  anybody  else  in  the  country ;  for  we  have 
sympathized  with  him,  and  treated  him  kindly,  and  like 
a  gentleman  and  an  equal ;  and  he  comes  to  us  at  night 
as  to  home  and  friends. 

I  went  down  to  the  river  to-day  to  see  B fish 

for  salmon  with  a  fly,  —  a  hopeless  business ;  for  he 
says  that  only  one  instance  has  been  known  in  the 
United  Slates  of  salmon  being  taken  otherwise  than 

VOL.    I.  3  B 


50  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

with  a  net.  A  few  chubs  were  all  the  fruit  of  his  pisca 
tory  efforts.  But  while  looking  at  the  rushing  and  rip 
pling  stream,  I  saw  a  great  fish,  some  six  feet  long  and 
thick  in  proportion,  suddenly  emerge  at  whole  length, 
turn  a  somerset,  and  then  vanish  again  beneath  the  wa 
ter.  It  was  of  a  glistening,  yellowish  brown,  with  its 
fins  all  spread,  and  looking  very  strange  and  startling, 
darting  out  so  lifelike  from  the  black  water,  throwing 
itself  fully  into  the  bright  sunshine,  and  then  lost  to 
sight  and  to  pursuit.  I  saw  also  a  long,  flat-bottomed 
boat  go  up  the  river,  with  a  brisk  wind,  and  against  a 
strong  stream.  Its  sails  were  of  curious  construction : 
a  long  mast,  with  two  sails  below,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  boat,  and  a  broader  one  surmounting  them.  The 
sails  were  colored  brown,  and  appeared  like  leather  or 
skins,  bat  were  really  cloth.  At  a  distance,  the  vessel 
looked  like,  or  at  least  I  compared  it  to,  a  monstrous 
water-insect  skimming  along  the  river.  If  the  sails  had 
been  crimson  or  yellow,  the  resemblance  would  have 
been  much  closer.  There  was  a  pretty  spacious  raised 
cabin  in  the  after  part  of  the  boat.  It  moved  along 
lightly,  and  disappeared  between  the  woody  banks. 
These  boats  have  the  two  parallel  sails  attached  to  the 
same  yard,  and  some  have  two  sails,  one  surmounting 
the  other.  They  trade  to  Water ville  and  thereabouts, 
—  names,  as  "  Paul  Pry,"  on  their  sails. 

Saturday,  July  15th.  —  Went  with  B yesterday 

to  visit  several  Irish  shanties,  endeavoring  to  find  out 
who  had  stolen  some  rails  of  a  fence.  At  the  first  door 
at  which  we  knocked  (a  shanty  with  an  earthen  mound 
hoaped  against  the  wall,  two  or  three  feet  thick),  the 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  51 

inmates  were  not  up,  though  it  was  past  eight  o'clock. 
At  last  a  middle-aged  woman  showed  herself,  half 
dressed,  and  complrting  her  toilet.  Threats  were  made 
of  tearing  down  hei  house ;  for  she  is  a  lady  of  very  in 
different  morals,  and  sells  rum.  Few  of  these  people 
are  connected  with  the  mill-dam,  —  or,  at  least,  many  are 
not  so,  but  have  intruded  themselves  into  the  vacant 
huts  which  were  occupied  by  the  mill-dam  people  last 
year.  In  two  or  three  places  hereabouts  there  is  quite 
a  village  of  these  dwellings,  with  a  clay  and  board 
chimney,  or  oftener  an  old  barrel,  smoked  and  charred 
with  the  fire.  Some  of  their  roofs  are  covered  with 
sods,  and  appear  almost  subterranean.  One  of  the  little 
hamlets  stands  on  both  sides  of  a  deep  dell,  wooded  and 
bush-grown,  with  a  vista,  as  it  were,  into  the  heart  of  a 
wood  in  one  direction,  and  to  the  broad,  sunny  river  in 
the  other:  there  was  a  little  rivulet,  crossed  by  a 
plank,  at  the  bottom  of  the  dell.  At  two  doors  we  saw 
very  pretty  and  modest-looking  young  women,  —  one 
with  a  child  in  her  arms.  Indeed,  they  all  have  innu 
merable  little  children  ;  and  they  are  invariably  in  good 
health,  though  always  dirty  of  face.  They  come  to  the 
door  while  their  mothers  are  talking  with  the  visitors, 
standing  straight  up  on  their  bare  legs,  with  their  little 
plump  bodies  protruding,  in  one  hand  a  small  tin  sauce 
pan,  and  in  the  other  an  iron  spoon,  with  unwashed 
mouths,  looking  as  independent  as  any  child  or  grown 
person  in  the  land.  They  stare  unabashed,  but  make 
no  answer  when  spoken  to.  "  I  've  no  call  to  your 

fence,  Misser  B ."     It  seems  strange  that  a  man 

should  have  the  right,  unarmed  with  any  legal  instru 
ment,  of  tearing  down  the  dwelling-houses  of  a  score  of 


52  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

families,  and  driving  the  inmates  forth  without  a  shelter. 

Yet  B undoubtedly  has  this  right ;  and  it  is  not  a 

little  striking  to  see  ho\\  quietly  these  people  contem 
plate  the  probability  of  his  exercising  it,  —  resolving, 
indeed,  to  burrow  in  their  holes  as  long  as  may  be,  yet 
caring  about  as  little  for  an  ejectment  as  those  who 
could  find  a  tenement  anywhere,  and  less.  Yet  the  wo 
men,  amid  all  the  trials  of  their  situation,  appear  to  have 
kept  up  the  distinction  between  virtue  and  vice ;  those 
who  can  claim  the  former  will  not  associate  with  the 
latter.  When  the  women  travel  with  young  children, 
they  carry  the  baby  slung  at  their  backs,  and  sleep 
ing  quietly.  The  dresses  of  the  new-comers  are 
old-fashioned,  making  them  look  aged  before  their 
time. 

Monsieur  S shaving  himself  yesterday  morning. 

He  was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  could  not  keep  his 
tongue  or  body  still  more  than  long  enough  to  make 
two  or  three  consecutive  strokes  at  his  beard.  Then 
he  would  turn,  flourishing  his  razor  and  grimacing  joy 
ously,  enacting  droll  antics,  breaking  out  into  scraps 
and  \ersesofdrinking-songs,  "A  boire!  a  boire!" — • 
then  laughing  heartily,  and  crying,  "  Vive  la  gaite  !  "  — 
then  resuming  his  task,  looking  into  the  glass  with 
grave  face,  on  which,  however,  a  grin  would  soon  break 
out  anew,  and  all  his  pranks  would  be  repeated  with 
variations.  He  turned  this  foolery  to  philosophy,  by 
observing  that  mirth  contributed  to  goodness  of  heart, 
and  to  make  us  love  our  fellow-creatures.  Conversing 
with  him  in  the  evening,  he  affirmed,  with  evident  be 
lief  in  the  truth  of  what  he  said,  that  he  would  have  no 
objection,  except  that  it  would  be  a  very  foolish  thing, 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  53 

to  expose  his  whole  heart,  his  whole  inner  man,  to  the 
view  of  the  world.  Not  that  there  would  not  be  much 
evil  discovered  there ;  but,  as  he  was  conscious  of  being 
in  a  state  of  mental  and  moral  improvement,  working 
out  his  progress  onward,  he  would  not  shrink  from  such 
a  scrutiny.  This  talk  was  introduced  by  his  mention 
ing  the  "  Minister's  Black  Veil,"  which  he  said  he  had 
seen  translated  into  French,  as  an  exercise,  by  a  Miss 
Appleton  of  Bangor. 

Saw  by  the  river-side,  late  in  the  afternoon,  one  of 
the  above-described  boats  going  into  the  stream,  with 
the  water  rippling  at  the  prow,  from  the  strength  of 
the  current  and  of  the  boat's  motion.  By  and  by  comes 
down  a  raft,  perhaps  twenty  yards  long,  guided  by  two 
men,  one  at  each  end,  —  the  raft  itself  of  boards  sawed 
at  Waterville,  and  laden  with  square  bundles  of  shin 
gles  and  round  bundles  of  clapboards.  "  Friend,"  says 
one  man,  "  how  is  the  tide  now  ?  "  —  this  being  impor 
tant  to  the  onward  progress.  They  make  fast  to  a  tree, 
in  order  to  wait  for  the  tide  to  rise  a  little  higher.  It 
would  be  pleasant  enough  to  float  down  the  Kennebec 
on  one  of  .these  rafts,  letting  the  river  conduct  you  on 
ward  at  its  own  pace,  leisurely  displaying  to  you  all  the 
wild  or  ordered  beauties  along  its  banks,  and  per 
haps  running  you  aground  in  some  peculiarly  pictu 
resque  spot,  for  your  longer  enjoyment  of  it.  Another 
object,  perhaps,  is  a  solitary  man  paddling  himself  down 
the  river  in  a  small  canoe,  the  light,  lonely  touch  of  his 
paddle  in  the  water  making  the  silence  seem  deeper. 
Every  few  minutes  a  sturgeon  leaps  forth,  sometimes 
behind  you,  so  that  you  merely  hear  the  spla&h,  and, 
turning  hastily  around,  see  nothing  but  the  disturbed 


54  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1537. 

water.  Sometimes  he  darts  straight  on  end  out  of  a 
quiet  black  spot  on  which  your  eyes  happen  to  be  fixed, 
and,  when  even  his  tail  is  clear  of  the  surface,  he  falls 
down  on  his  side,  and  disappears. 

On  the  river-bank,  an  Irishwoman  washing  some 
clothes,  surrounded  by  her  children,  whose  babbling 
sounds  pleasantly  along  the  edge  of  the  shore  ;  and  she 
also  answers  in  a  sweet,  kindly,  and  cheerful  voice, 
though  an  immoral  woman,  and  without  the  certainty 
of  bread  or  shelter  from  day  to  day.  An  Irishman  sit 
ting  angling  on  the  brink  with  an  alder  pole  and  a 
clothes-line.  At  frequent  intervals,  the  scene  is  sud 
denly  broken  by  a  loud  report  like  thunder,  rolling 
along  the  banks,  echoing  and  reverberating  afar.  It  is 
a  blast  of  rocks.  Along  the  margin,  sometimes  sticks 
of  timber  made  fast,  either  separately  or  several  to 
gether  ;  stones  of  some  size,  varying  the  pebbles  and 
sand ;  a  clayey  spot,  where  a  shallow  brook  runs  into 
the  river,  not  with  a  deep  outlet,  but  finding  its  way 
across  the  bank  in  two  or  three  single  runlets.  Look 
ing  upward  into  the  deep  glen  whence  it  issues,  you  see 
its  shady  current.  Elsewhere,  a  high  acclivity,  with 
the  beach  between  it  and  the  river,  the  ridge  broken 
and  caved  away,  so  that  the  earth  looks  fresh  and  yel 
low,  and  is  penetrated  by  the  nests  of  birds.  An  old, 
shining  tree-trunk,  half  in  and  half  out  of  the  water. 
An  island  of  gravel,  long  and  narrow,  in  the  centre  of 
the  river.  Chips,  blocks  of  wood,  slabs,  and  other 
scraps  of  lumber,  strewed  along  the  beach ;  logs  drift 
ing  down.  The  high  bank  covered  with  various  treea 
and  shrubbery,  and,  in  one  place,  two  or  three  Irish 
shanties. 


f837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  55 

Thursday,  July  20.  —  A  drive  yesterday  afternoon 
to  a  pond  in  the  vicinity  of  Augusta,  about  nine 
miles  off,  to  fish  for  white  perch.  Remarkables :  the 
steering  of  the  boat  through  the  crooked,  labyrin 
thine  brook,  into  the  open  pond,  —  the  man  who 

acted  as  pilot,  —  his  talking  with  B about  politics, 

the  bank,  the  iron  money  of  u  a  king  who  came  to  reign, 
in  Greece,  over  a  city  called  Sparta,"  —  his  advice  to 

B to  come  amongst  the  laborers  on  the  mill-dam, 

because  it  stimulated  them  "  to  see  a  man  grinning 
amongst  them."  The  man  took  hearty  tugs  at  a  bottle 
of  good  Scotch  whiskey,  and  became  pretty  merry. 
The  fifth  caught  were  the  yellow  perch,  which  arc  not 
esteemed  for  eating;  the  white  perch,  a  beautiful, 
silvery,  round-backed  fish,  which  bites  eagerly,  runs 
about  with  the  line  while  being  pulled  up,  makes  good 
sport  for  the  angler,  and  an  admirable  dish ;  a  great 
chub ;  and  three  horned  pouts,  which  swallow  the  hook 
into  their  lowest  entrails.  Several  dozen  fish  were 
taken  in  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  we  returned  to  the 
shop  where  we  had  left  our  horse  and  wagon,  the  pilot 
very  eccentric  behind  us.  It  was  a  small,  dingy  shop, 
dimly  lighted  by  a  single  inch  of  candle,  faintly  disclos 
ing  various  boxes,  barrels  standing  on  end,  articles 
hanging  from  the  ceiling ;  the  proprietor  at  the  counter, 
whereon  appear  gin  and  brandy,  respectively  contained 
in  a  tin  pint-measure  and  an  earthenware  jug,  with  two 
or  three  tumblers  beside  them,  out  of  which  nearly  all 
the  party  drank  ;  some  coming  up  to  the  counter 
frankly,  others  lingering  in  the  background,  waiting  to 
be  pressed,  two  paying  for  their  own  liquor  and  with 
drawing.  B treated  them  twice  round.  The  pilot, 


56  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

after  drinking  his  brandy,  gave  a  history  of  our  fish.-ig 
expedition,  and  how  many  and  how  large  fish  we 

caught.     B making   acquaintances    and  renewing 

them,  and  gaining  great  credit  for  liberality  and  free- 
heartedness,  —  two  or  three  boys  looking  on  and  lis 
tening  to  the  talk,  —  the  shopkeeper  smiling  behind  his 
counter,  with  the  tarnished  tin  scales  beside  him,  —  the 
inch  of  candle  burning  down  almost  to  extinction.  So 
we  got  into  our  wagon,  with  the  fish,  and  drove  to  Rob 
inson's  tavern,  almost  five  miles  off,  where  we  supped 
and  passed  the  night.  In  the  bar-room  was  a  fat  old 
countryman  on  a  journey,  and  a  quack  doctor  of  the 
vicinity,  and  an  Englishman  with  a  peculiar  accent. 

Seeing  B 's  jointed  and  brass-mounted  fishing-pole, 

he  took  it  for  a  theodolite,  and  supposed  that  we  had 
been  on  a  surveying  expedition.  At  supper,  which 
consisted  of  bread,  butter,  cheese,  cake,  doughnuts,  and 
gooseberry-pie,  we  were  waited  upon  by  a  tall,  very  tall 
woman,  young  and  maiden-looking,  yet  with  a  strongly 
outlined  and  determined  face.  Afterwards  we  found 
her  to  be  the  wife  of  mine  host.  She  poured  out  our 
tea,  came  in  when  we  rang  the  table-bell  to  refill  our 
cups,  and  again  retired.  While  at  supper,  the  fat  old 
traveller  was  ushered  through  the  room  into  a  contigu 
ous  bedroom.  My  own  chamber,  apparently  the  best 
in  the  house,  had  its  walls  ornamented  with  a  small, 
gilt-framed,  foot-square  looking-glass,  with  a  hairbrush 
hanging  beneath  it;  a  record  of  the  deaths  of  the  family 
written  on  a  black  tomb,  in  an  engraving,  where  a 
father,  mother,  and  child  were  represented  in  a  grave 
yard,  weeping  over  said  tomb ;  the  mourners  dressed 
in  black,  country-cut  clothes  ;  the  engraving  executed 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  57 

In  Vermont.  There  was  also  a  wood  engraving  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  with  fac-similes  of  the 
autographs  ;  a  portrait  of  the  Empress  Josephine,  and 
another  of  Spring.  IL  the  two  closets  of  this  chamber 
were  mine  hostess's  cloak,  best  bonnet,  and  go-to-meet 
ing  apparel.  There  was  a  good  bed,  in  which  I  slept 
tolerably  well,  and,  rising  betimes,  ate  breakfast,  con 
sisting  of  some  of  our  own  fish,  and  then  started  for 
Augusta.  The  fat  old  traveller  had  gone  off  with  the 
harness  of  our  wagon,  which  the  hostler  had  put  on  to 
his  horse  by  mistake.  The  tavern-keeper  gave  us  his 
own  harness,  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the  old  man, 
who  was  probably  aware  of  the  exchange,  and  well 
satisfied  with  it. 

Our  drive  to  Augusta,  six  or  seven  miles,  was  very 
pleasant,  a  heavy  rain  having  fallen  during  the  night 
and  laid  the  oppressive  dust  of  the  day  before.  The 
road  lay  parallel  with  the  Kennebec,  of  which  we  oc 
casionally  had  near  glimpses.  The  country  swells 
back  from  the  river  in  hills  and  ridges,  without  any 
interval  of  level  ground ;  and  there  were  frequent 
woods,  filling  up  the  valleys  or  crowning  the  summits. 
The  land  is  good,  the  farms  look  neat,  and  the  houses 
comfortable.  The  latter  are  generally  but  of  one  story, 
but  with  large  barns;  and  it  was  a  good  sign,  that, 
while  we  saw  no  houses  unfinished  nor  out  of  repair, 
one  man  at  least  had  found  it  expedient  to  make  an 
addition  to  his  dwelling.  At  the  distance  of  more  than 
two  miles,  we  had  a  view  of  white  Augusta,  with  its 
steeples,  and  the  State- House,  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
town.  Observable  matters  along  the  road  were  the 
stage,  —  all  the  dust  of  yesterday  brushed  off,  and  no 
3* 


58  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

new  dust  contracted,  —  full  of  passengers,  inside  and 
out ;  among  them  some  gentlemanly  people  and  pretty 
girls,  all  looking  fresh  and  unsullied,  rosy,  cheerful,  and 
curious  as  to  the  face  of  the  country,  the  faces  of  pass 
ing  travellers,  and  the  incidents  of  their  journey  ;  not 
yet  damped,  in  the  morning  sunshine,  by  long  miles  of 
jolting  over  rough  and  hilly  roads,  —  to  compare  this 
with  their  appearance  at  midday,  and  as  they  drive  into 
Bangor  at  dusk;  —  two  women  dashing  along  in  a 
wagon,  and  with  a  child,  rattling  pretty  speedily  down 
hill ;  —  people  looking  at  us  from  the  open  doors  and 
windows  ;  —  the  children  staring  from  the  wayside  ;  — • 
the  mowers  stopping,  for  a  moment,  the  sway  of  their 
scythes  ;  —  the  matron  of  a  family,  indistinctly  seen  at 
some  distance  within  the  house,  her  head  and  shoulders 
appearing  through  the  window,  drawing  her  handker 
chief  over  her  bosom,  which  had  been  uncovered  to 
give  the  baby  its  breakfast,  —  the  said  baby,  or  its  im 
mediate  predecessor,  sitting  at  the  door,  turning  round 
to  creep  away  on  all  fours ;  —  a  man  building  a  flat- 
bottomed  boat  by  the  roadside :  he  talked  with  B 

about  the  Boundary  question,  and  swore  fervently  in 
favor  of  driving  the  British  "  into  hell's  kitchen  "  by 
main  force. 

Colonel  B ,  the  engineer  of  the  mill-dam,  is  now 

here,  after  about  a  fortnight's  absence.  He  is  a  plain 
country  squire,  with  a  good  figure,  but  with  rather  a 
heavy  brow ;  a  rough  complexion  ;  a  gait  stiff,  and  a 
general  rigidity  of  manner,  something  like  that  of  a 
schoolmaster.  He  originated  in  a  country  town,  and  is 
a  self-educated  man.  As  he  walked  down  the  gravel- 
path  to-day,  al'ter  dinner,  he  took  up  a  scythe,  which 


I837.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  59 

one  of  the  mowers  had  left  on  the  sward,  and  began  to 
mow,  with  quite  a  scientific  swing.  On  the  coming  of 
the  mower,  he  laid  it  down,  perhaps  a  little  ashamed  of 
his  amusement.  I  was  interested  in  this  ;  to  see  a  man, 
after  twenty-five  years  of  scientific  occupation,  thus  try 
ing  whether  his  arms  retained  their  strength  and  skill 
for  the  labors  of  his  youth,  —  mindful  of  the  day  when 
he  wore  striped  trousers,  and  toiled  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 

—  and  now  tasting  again,  for  pastime,  this  drudgery  be 
neath  a  fervid  sun.     He  stood  awhile,  looking  at  the 
workmen,  and  then  went  to  oversee  the  laborers  at  the 
mill-dam. 

Monday,  July  24tk.  —  I  bathed  in  the  river  on  Thurs 
day  evening,  and  in  the  brook  at  the  old  dam  on  Satur 
day  and  Sunday,  —  the  former  time  at  noon.  The  as 
pect  of  the  solitude  at  noon  was  peculiarly  impressive, 
there  being  a  cloudless  sunshine,  no  wind,  no  rustling 
of  the  forest-leaves,  no  waving  of  the  boughs,  no  noise 
but  the  brawling  and  babbling  of  the  stream,  making  its 
way  among  the  stones,  and  pouring  in  a  little  cataract 
round  one  side  of  the  mouldering  dam.  Looking  up  the 
brook,  there  was  a  long  vista,  —  now  ripples,  now  smooth 
and  glassy  spaces,  now  large  rocks,  almost  blocking  up 
the  channel;  while  the  trees  stood  upon  either  side, 
mostly  straight,  but  here  and  there  a  branch  thrusting 
itself  out  irregularly,  and  one  tree,  a  pine,  leaning  over, 

—  not   bending,  —  but   leaning   at  an  angle  over  the 
brook,  rough  and  ragged  ;  birches,  alders  ;  the   tallest 
of  all  the  trees  an  old,  dead,  leafless  pine,  rising  white 
and  lonely,  though  closely  surrounded  by  others.     Along 
the  brook,  now  the  grass  and  herbage  extended  close  to 


60  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837 

the  water ;  now  a  small,  sandy  beach.  The  wall  of 
rock  before  described,  looking  as  if  it  had  been  hewn, 
but  with  irregular  strokes  of  the  workman,  doing  his  job 
by  rough  and  ponderous  strength,  —  now  chancing  to 
hew  it  away  smoothly  and  cleanly,  now  carelessly 
smiting,  and  making  gaps,  or  piling  on  the  slabs  of 
rock,  so  as  to  leave  vacant  spaces.  In  the  interstices 
grow  brake  and  broad-leaved  forest-grass.  The  trees 
that  spring  from  the  top  of  this  wall  have  their  roots 
pressing  close  to  the  rock,  so  that  there  is  no  soil  be 
tween  ;  they  cling  powerfully,  and  grasp  the  crag  tight 
ly  with  their  knotty  fingers.  The  trees  on  both  sides 
are  so  thick,  that  the  sight  and  the  thoughts  are  almost 
immediately  lost  among  confused  stems,  branches,  and 
clustering  green  leaves,  —  a  narrow  strip  of  bright  blue 
sky  above,  the  sunshine  falling  lustrously  down,  and 
making  the  pathway  of  the  brook  luminous  below.  En 
tering  among  the  thickets,  I  find  the  soil  strewn  with 
old  leaves  of  preceding  seasons,  through  which  may  be 
seen  a  black  or  dark  mould  ;  the  roots  of  trees  stretch 
frequently  across  the  path ;  often  a  moss-grown  brown 
log  lies  athwart,  and  when  you  set  your  foot  down, 
it  sinks  into  the  decaying  substance,  —  into  the  heart 
of  oak  or  pine.  The  leafy  boughs  and  twigs  of  the  un 
derbrush  enlace  themselves  before  you,  so  that  you  must 
stoop  your  head  to  pass  under,  or  thrust  yourself  through 
amain,  while  they  sweep  against  your  face,  and  perhaps 
knock  off  your  hat.  There  are  rocks  mossy  and  slip 
pery  ;  sometimes  you  stagger,  with  a  great  rustling  of 
branches,  against  a  clump  of  bushes,  and  into  the  midst 
of  it.  From  end  to  end  of  all  this  tangled  shade  goes 
a  pathway  scarcely  worn,  for  the  leaves  are  not  trodden 


1837 .J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  61 

through,  yet  plain  enough  to  the  eye,  winding  gently  to 
avoid  tree-trunks  and  rocks  and  little  hillocks.  In  the 
more  open  ground,  the  aspect  of  a  tall,  fire-blackened 
stump,  standing  alone,  high  up  on  a  swell  of  land,  that 
rises  gradually  from  one  side  of  the  brook,  like  a  monu 
ment.  Yesterday,  I  passed  a  group  of  children  in  this 
solitary  valley,  —  two  boys,  I  think,  and  two  girls. 
One  of  the  little  girls  seemed  to  have  suffered  some 
wrong  from  her  companions,  for  she  was  weeping  and 
complaining  violently.  Another  time,  I  came  suddenly 
on  a  small  Canadian  boy,  who  was  in  a  hollow  place, 
among  the  ruined  logs  of  an  old  causeway,  picking 
raspberries,  —  lonely  among  bushes  and  gorges,  far  up 
the  wild  valley,  —  and  the  lonelier  seemed  the  little  boy 
for  the  bright  sunshine,  that  showed  no  one  else  in  a 
wide  space  of  view  except  him  and  me. 

Remarkable  items  :  the  observation  of  Mons.  S 

when  B was  saying  something  against  the  character 

of  the  French  people,  —  "  You  ought  not  to  form  an  un 
favorable  judgment  of  a  great  nation  from  mean  fellows 
like  me,  strolling  about  in  a  foreign  country."  I  thought 
it  very  noble  thus  to  protest  against  anything  discredit 
able  in  himself  personally  being  used  against  the  honor 
of  his  countrv.  He  is  a  very  singular  person,  with  an 
originality  in  all  his  notions  ;  —  not  that  nobody  has  ever 
had  such  before,  but  that  he  has  thought  them  out  for 
himself.  He  told  me  yesterday  that  one  of  his  sisters 
was  a  waiting-maid  in  the  Rocher  de  Caucale.  He  is 
about  the  sincerest  man  I  ever  knew,  never  pretending 
to  feelings  that  are  not  in  him,  —  never  flattering.  His 
feelings  do  not  seem  to  be  warm,  though  they  are  kind 
ly.  He  is  so  single-minded  that  he  cannot  understand 


62  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [_1837> 

badinage,  but  takes  it  all  as  if  meant  in  earnest,  —  a 
German  trait.  He  values  himself  greatly  on  being  a 
Frenchman,  though  all  his  most  valuable  qualities  corne 
from  Germany.  His  temperament  is  cool  and  pure, 
and  he  is  greatly  delighted  with  any  attentions  from  the 
ladies.  A  short  time  since,  a  lady  gave  him  a  bouquet 
of  roses  and  pinks  ;  he  capered  and  danced  and  sang, 
put  it  in  water,  and  carried  it  to  his  own  chamber ;  but 
he  brought  it  out  for  us  to  see  and  admire  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  bestowing  on  it  all  the  epithets  of  admira 
tion  in  the  French  language,  —  "  Superbe  !  magni- 
•fique  !  "  When  some  of  the  flowers  began  to  fade,  he 
made  the  rest,  with  others,  into  a  new  nosegay,  and 
consulted  us  whether  it  would  be  fit  to  give  to  another 
rady.  Contrast  this  French  foppery  with  his  solemn 

moods,  when  we  sit  in  the  twilight,  or  after  B is 

abed,  talking  of  Christianity  and  Deism,  of  ways  of  life, 
of  marriage,  of  benevolence,  —  in  short,  of  all  deep  mat 
ters  of  this  world  and  the  next.  An  evening  or  two 
since,  he  began  singing  all  manner  of  English  songs,  — 
such  as  Mrs.  Hemans's  "  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims," 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne,"  and  some  of  Moore's,  —  the  singing 
pretty  fair,  but  in  the  oddest  tone  and  accent.  Occa 
sionally  he  breaks  out  with  scraps  from  French  trage 
dies,  which  he  spouts  with  corresponding  action.  He 
generally  gets  close  to  me  in  these  displays  of  musical 
and  histrionic  talent.  Once  he  offered  to  magnetize  me 
in  the  manner  of  Monsieur  P . 

Wednesday,  July  26th.  —  Dined  at  Barker's  yester 
day.  Before  dinner,  sat  with  several  other  persons  in 
the  stoop  of  the  tavern.  There  were  B ,  J.  A. 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS  63 

Chandler,  Clerk  of  the  Court,  a  man  of  middle  age  or 
beyond,  two  or  three  stage  people,  and,  near  by,  a 
negro,  whom  they  call  "  the  Doctor,"  a  crafty-looking 
fellow,  one  of  whose  occupations  is  nameless.  In  pres 
ence  of  this  goodly  company,  a  man  of  a  depressed, 
neglected  air,  a  soft,  simple-looking  fellow,  with  an  anx 
ious  expression,  in  a  laborer's  dress,  approached  and 
inquired  for  Mr.  Barker.  Mine  host  being  gone  to 
Portland,  the  stranger  was  directed  to  the  bar-keeper, 
who  stood  at  the  door.  The  man  asked  where  he 
should  find  one  Mary  Ann  Russell,  —  a  question  which 
excited  general  and  hardly  suppressed  mirth ;  for  the 
said  Mary  Ann  is  one  of  a  knot  of  women  who  were 
routed  on  Sunday  evening  by  Barker  and  a  constable. 
The  man  was  told  that  the  black  fellow  would  give 
him  all  the  information  he  wanted.  The  black  fellow 
asked,  — 

"  Do  you  want  to  see  her  ?  " 

Others  of  the  by-standers  or  by-sitters  put  vari 
ous  questions  as  to  the  nature  of  the  man's  business 
with  Mary  Ann.  One  asked,  — 

"  Is  she  your  daughter  ?  " 

"  Why,  a  little  nearer  than  that,  I  calkilate,"  said  the 
poor  devil. 

Here  the  mirth  was  increased,  it  being  evident  that  the 
woman  was  his  wife.  The  man  seemed  too  simple  and 
obtuse  to  comprehend  the  ridicule  of  his  situation,  or  to 
be  rendered  very  miserable  by  it.  Nevertheless,  he 
made  some  touching  points. 

"  A  man  generally  places  some  little  dependence  DII 
his  wife,"  said  he,  "  whether  she  's  good  or  not." 

He  meant,  probably,  that  he  rests  some  affection  on 


64  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

her.  He  told  us  that  she  had  behaved  well,  till  com 
mitted  to  jail  for  striking  a  child  ;  and  I  believe  he  was 
absent  from  home  at  the  time,  and  had  not  seen  her 
since.  And  now  he  was  in  search  of  her,  intending, 
doubtless,  to  do  his  best  to  get  her  out  of  her  troubles, 
and  then  to  take  her  back  to  his  home.  Some  advised 
him  not  to  look  after  her ;  others  recommended  him  to 
pay  "  the  Doctor  "  aforesaid  for  guiding  him  to  her ; 
which  finally  "  the  Doctor "  did,  in  consideration  of  a 
treat ;  and  the  fellow  went  off,  having  heard  little  but 
gibes,  and  not  one  word  of  sympathy  !  I  would  like  to 
have  witnessed  his  meeting  with  his  wife. 
/  There  was  a  moral  picturesqueness  in  the  contrasts  of 
the  scene,  —  a  man  moved  as  deeply  as  his  nature  would 
admit,  in  the  midst  of  hardened,  gibing  spectators,  heart 
less  towards  him.  It  is  worth  thinking  over  and  study 
ing  out.  He  seemed  rather  hurt  and  pricked  by  the 
jests  thrown  at  him,  yet  bore  it  patiently,  and  sometimes 
almost  joined  in  the  laugh,  being  of  an  easy,  unenergetic 
temper. 

Hints  for  characters :  —  Nancy,  a  pretty,  black-eyed, 
intelligent  servant-girl,  living  in  Captain  H 's  fam 
ily.  She  comes  daily  to  make  the  beds  in  our  part  of 
the  house,  and  exchanges  a  good  morning  with  me,  in  a 
pleasant  voice,  and  with  a  glance  and  smile,  —  somewhat 
shy,  because  we  are  not  acquainted,  yet  capable  of  be 
ing  made  conversable.  She  washes  once  a  week,  and 
may  be  seen  standing  over  her  tub,  with  her  handker 
chief  somewhat  displaced  from  her  white  neck,  because 
it  is  hot.  Often  she  stands  with  her  bare  arms  in  the 

water  talking  with  Mrs.  H ,  or  looks  through  the 

window,  perhaps,  at  B ,  or  somebody  else  crossing 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  65 

the  yard,  —  rather  thoughtfully,  but  soon  smiling  or 
laughing.  Then  goeth  she  for  a  pail  of  water.  In  the 
afternoon,  very  probably,  she  dresses  herself  in  silks, 
looking  not  only  pretty,  but  lady-like,  and  strolls  round 
the  house,  not  unconscious  that  some  gentleman  may  be 
staring  at  her  from  behind  the  green  blinds.  After 
supper,  she  walks  to  the  village.  Morning  and  evening, 
she  goes  a-milking.  And  thus  passes  her  life,  cheer 
fully,  usefully,  virtuously,  with  hopes,  doubtless,  of  a 

husband  and  children.  —  Mrs.  H is  a  particularly 

plump,  soft-fleshed,  fair-complexioned,  comely  woman 
enough,  with  rather  a  simple  countenance,  not  nearly  so 
piquant  as  Nancy's.  Her  walk  has  something  of  the 
roll  or  waddle  of  a  fat  woman,  though  it  were  too  much 
to  call  her  fat.  She  seems  to  be  a  sociable  body,  prob 
ably  laughter-loving.  Captain  H himself  has 

commanded  a  steamboat,  and  has  a  certain  knowledge 
of  life. 

Query,  in  relation  to  the  man's  missing  wife,  how 
much  desire  and  resolution  of  doing  her  duty  by  her 
husband  can  a  wife  retain,  while  injuring  him  in  what  is 
deemed  the  most  essential  point  ? 

Observation.  The  effect  of  morning  sunshine  on  the 
wet  grass,  on  sloping  and  swelling  land,  between  the 
spectator  and  the  sun  at  some  distance,  as  across  a  lawn. 
It  diffused  a  dim  brilliancy  over  the  whole  surface  of 
the  field.  The  mists,  slo \v -rising  farther  off,  part  rest 
ing  on  the  earth,  the  remainder  of  the  column  already 
ascending  so  high  that  you  doubt  whether  to  call  it  a 
fog  or  a  cloud. 

Friday,  July  28th.  —  Saw  my  classmate  and  formei  ij 


66  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

intimate  friend, ,  for  the  first  time  since  we  gradu 
ated.  He  has  met  with  good  success  in  life,  in  spite  of 
circumstance,  having  struggled  upward  against  bitter 
opposition,  by  the  force  of  his  own  abilities,  to  be  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress,  after  having  been  for  some  time  the 
leader  of  his  party  in  the  State  Legislature.  "We  met 
like  old  friends,  and  conversed  almost  as  freely  as  we 
used  to  do  in  college  days,  twelve  years  ago  and  more. 
He  is  a  singular  person,  shrewd,  crafty,  insinuating,  with 
wonderful  tact,  seizing  on  each  man  by  his  manageable 
point,  and  using  him  for  his  own  purpose,  often  without 
the  man's  suspecting  that  he  is  made  a  tool  of;  and  yet, 
artificial  as  his  character  would  seem  to  be,  his  conver 
sation,  at  least  to  myself,  was  full  of  natural  feeling,  the 
expression  of  which  can  hardly  be  mistaken,  and  his 
revelations  with  regard  to  himself  had  really  a  great 
deal  of  frankness.  He  spoke  of  his  ambition,  of  the  ob* 
stacles  which  he  had  encountered,  of  the  means  by  which 
he  had  overcome  them,  imputing  great  efficacy  to  his 
personal  intercourse  with  people,  and  his  study  of  their 
characters  ;  then  of  his  course  as  a  member  of  the  Legis 
lature  and  Speaker,  and  his  style  of  speaking  and  its 
effects ;  of  the  dishonorable  things  which  had  been  im 
puted  to  him,  and  in  what  manner  he  had  repelled  the 
charges.  In  short,  he  would  seem  to  have  opened  him 
self  very  freely  as  to  his  public  life.  Then,  as  to  his 
private  affairs,  he  spoke  of  his  marriage,  of  his  wife,  his 
children,  and  told  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  of  the 
death  of  a  dear  little  girl,  and  how  it  affected  him,  and 
how  impossible  it  had  been  for  him  to  believe  that  she 
was  really  to  die.  A  man  of  the  most  open  nature 
might  well  have  been  more  reserved  to  a  friend,  after 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  67 

twelve  years'  separation,  than was  to  me.  Never 
theless,  he  is  really  a  crafty  man,  concealing,  like  a  mur 
der-secret,  anything  that  it  is  not  good  for  him  to  have 
known.  He  by  no  means  feigns  the  good-feeling  that 
he  professes,  nor  is  there  anything  affected  in  the  frank 
ness  of  his  conversation  ;  and  it  is  this  that  makes  him 
so  very  fascinating.  There  is  such  a  quantity  of  truth 
and  kindliness  and  warm  affections,  that  a  man's  heart 
opens  to  him,  in  spite  of  himself.  He  deceives  by  truth. 
And  not  only  is  he  crafty,  but,  when  occasion  demands, 
bold  and  fierce  as  a  tiger,  determined,  and  even  straight 
forward  and  undisguised  in  his  measures,  —  a  daring 
fellow  as  well  as  a  sly  one.  Yet,  notwithstanding  his 
consummate  art,  the  general  estimate  of  his  character 
seems  to  be  pretty  just.  Hardly  anybody,  probably, 
thinks  him  better  than  he  is,  and  many  think  him  worse. 
Nevertheless,  if  no  overwhelming  discovery  of  rascality 
be  made,  he  will  always  possess  influence  ;  though  I 
should  hardly  think  that  he  would  take  any  prominent 
part  in  Congress.  As  to  any  rascality,  I  rather  believe 
that  he  has  thought  out  for  himself  a  much  higher  sys 
tem  of  morality  than  any  natural  integrity  would  have 
prompted  him  to  adopt ;  that  he  has  seen  the  thorough 
advantage  of  morality  and  honesty ;  and  the  sentiment 
of  these  qualities  has  now  got  into  his  mind  and  spirit, 
and  pretty  well  impregnated  them.  I  believe  him  to  be 
about  as  honest  as  the  great  run  of  the  world,  with 
something  even  approaching  to  high-mindedness.  His 
person  in  some  degree  accords  with  his  character, — 
thin  and  with  a  thin  face,  sharp  features,  sallow,  a  pro 
jecting  brow  not  very  high,  deep-set  eyes,  an  insinuat 
ing  smile  and  look,  when  he  meets  you,  and  is  about  to 


68  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  |_1837. 

address  you.  I  should  think  that  he  would  do  away 
with  this  peculiar  expression,  for  it  reveals  more  of  him 
self  than  can  be  detected  in  any  other  way,  in  personal 
intercourse  with  him.  Upon  the  whole,  I  have  quite  a 

good  liking  for  him,  and  mean  to  go  to to  see  him. 

Observation.  A  steam-engine  across  the  river,  which 
almost  continually  during  the  day,  and  sometimes  all 
night,  may  be  heard  puffing  and  panting,  as  if  it  uttered 
groans  for  being  compelled  to  labor  in  the  heat  and  sun 
shine,  and  when  the  world  is  asleep  also. 

Monday,  July  31  st.  —  Nothing  remarkable  to  record. 
A  child  asleep  in  a  young  lady's  arms,  —  a  little  baby, 
two  or  three  months  old.  Whenever  anything  partially 
disturbed  the  child,  as,  for  instance,  when  the  young 
lady  or  a  by-stander  patted  its  cheek  or  rubbed  its  chin, 
the  child  would  smile  ;  then  all  its  dreams  seemed  to  be 
of  pleasure  and  happiness.  At  first  the  smile  was  so 
faint,  that  I  doubted  whether  it  were  really  a  smile  or 
no ;  but  on  further  efforts,  it  brightened  forth  very  de 
cidedly.  This,  without  opening  its  eyes.  —  A  constable, 
a  homely,  good-natured,  business-looking  man,  with  a 
warrant  against  an  Irishman's  wife  for  throwing  a  brick 
bat  at  a  fellow.  He  gave  good  advice  to  the  Irishman 
about  the  best  method  of  coming  easiest  through  the 
affair.  Finally  settled,  —  the  justice  agreeing  to  relin 
quish  his  fees,  on  condition  that  the  Irishman  would  pay 
for  the  mending  of  his  old  boots  ! 

I  went  with  Monsieur  S yesterday  to  pick  rasp 
berries.  He  fell  through  an  old  log  bridge  thrown  over 
a  hollow ;  looking  back,  only  his  head  and  shoulders 
appeared  through  the  rotten  logs  and  amorg  the  bushes, 


J837.J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  G9 

—  A  shower  coming  on,  the  rapid  running  of  a  little 
barefooted  boy,  coming  up  unheard,  and  dashing  swiftly 
past  us,  and  showing  the  soles  of  his  naked  feet  as  he 
ran  adown  the  path,  and  up  the  opposite  rise. 

Tuesday,  August  1st.  —  There  having  been  a  heavy 
rain  yesterday,  a  nest  of  chimney-swallows  was  washed 
down  the  chimney  into  the  fireplace  of  one  of  the  front 
rooms.  My  attention  was  drawn  to  them  by  a  most  ob 
streperous  twittering ;  and  looking  behind  the  fire-board, 
there  were  three  young  birds,  clinging  with  their  feet 
against  one  of  the  jambs,  looking  at  me,  open-mouthed, 
and  all  clamoring  together,  so  as  quite  to  fill  the  room 
with  the  short,  eager,  frightened  sound.  The  old  birds, 
by  certain  signs  upon  the  floor  of  the  room,  appeared  to 
have  fallen  victims  to  the  appetite  of  the  cat.  La  belle 
Nancy  provided  a  basket  filled  with  cotton-wool,  into 
which  the  poor  little  devils  were  put;  and  I  tried  to 
feed  them  with  soaked  bread,  of  which,  however,  they 
did  not  eat  with  much  relish.  Tom,  the  Irish  boy,  gave 
it  as  his  opinion  that  they  were  not  old  enough  to  be 
weaned.  I  hung  the  basket  out  of  the  window,  in  the 
sunshine,  and  upon  looking  in,  an  hour  or  two  after 
found  that  two  of  the  birds  had  escaped.  The  other  ] 
tried  to  feed,  and  sometimes,  when  a  morsel  of  brea^ 
was  thrust  into  its  open  mouth,  it  would  swallow  it 
But  it  appeared  to  suffer  very  much,  vociferating  loudl, 
when  disturbed,  and  panting,  in  a  sluggish  agony,  witl 
^yes  closed,  or  half  opened,  when  let  alone.  It  dia 
tressed  me  a  good  deal;  and  I  felt  relieved,  thougl 

somewhat  shocked,  when  B put  an  end  to  its  mis 

ery  by  squeezing  its  head  and  throwing  it  out  of  tb. 


70  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  |_1837 

window.  They  were  of  a  slate-color,  and  might,  I  sup 
pose,  have  been  able  to  shift  for  themselves.  —  Tho 
other  day  a  little  yellow  bird  flew  into  one  of  the  empty 
rooms,  of  which  there  are  half  a  dozen  on  the  lower 
floor,  and  could  not  find  his  way  out  again,  flying  at  the 
glass  of  the  windows,  instead  of  at  the  door,  thumping 
his  head  against  the  panes  or  against  the  ceiling.  I 
drove  him  into  the  entry  and  chased  him  from  end  to 
end,  endeavoring  to  make  him  fly  through  one  of  the 
open  doors.  He  would  fly  at  the  circular  light  over  the 
door,  clinging  to  the  casement,  sometimes  alighting  on 
one  of  the  two  glass  lamps,  or  on  the  cords  that  sus 
pended  them,  uttering  an  affrighted  and  melancholy  cry 
whenever  I  came  near  and  flapped  my  handkerchief, 
and  appearing  quite  tired  and  sinking  into  despair.  At 
last  he  happened  to  fly  low  enough  to  pass  through  the 
door,  and  immediately  vanished  into  the  gladsome  sun 
shine.  —  Ludicrous  situation  of  a  man,  drawing  his 
chaise  down  a  sloping  bank,  to  wash  in  the  river.  The 
chaise  got  the  better  of  him,  and,  rushing  downward  as 
if  it  were  possessed,  compelled  him  to  run  at  full  speed, 
and  drove  him  up  to  his  chin  into  the  water.  A  singu 
lar  instance,  that  a  chaise  may  run  away  with  a  man 
without  a  horse ! 

Saturday,  August  12th.  —  Left  Augusta  a  week  ago 

this  morning  for .     Nothing  particular  in  our  drive 

across  the  country.  Fellow-passenger,  a  Boston  dry- 
goods  dealer,  travelling  to  collect  bills.  At  many  of  the 
country  shops  he  would  get  out,  and  show  his  unwel 
come  visage.  In  the  tavern,  prints  from  Scripture,  var 
nished  and  on  rollers,  —  such  as  the  Judgment  of 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  71 

Christ ;  also,  a  droll  set  of  colored  engravings  of  the 
story  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  the  figures  being  clad  in 
modern  costume,  —  or,  at  least,  that  of  not  more  than 
half  a  century  ago.  The  father,  a  grave,  clerical  per 
son,  with  a  white  wig  and  black  broadcloth  suit;  the 
son,  with  a  cocked  hat  and  laced  clothes,  drinking  wine 
out  of  a  glass,  and  caressing  a  woman  in  fashionable  dress. 

At  a    nice,  comfortable,    boarding-house    tavern, 

without  a  bar  or  any  sort  of  wines  or  spirits.  An  old 
lady  from  Boston,  with  her  three  daughters,  one  of 
whom  was  teaching  music,  and  the  other  two  school 
mistresses.  A  frank,  free,  mirthful  daughter  of  the 
landlady,  about  twenty-four  years  old,  between  whom 
and  myself  there  immediately  sprang  up  a  flirtation, 
which  made  us  both  feel  rather  melancholy  when  we 
parted  on  Tuesday  morning.  Music  in  the  evening, 
with  a  song  by  a  rather  pretty,  fantastic  little  mischief 
of  a  brunette,  about  eighteen  years  old,  who  has  mar 
ried  within  a  year,  and  spent  the  last  summer  in  a  trip 
to  the  Springs  and  elsewhere.  Her  manner  of  walking 
is  by  jerks,  with  a  quiver,  as  if  she  were  made  of  calves- 
feet  jelly.  I  talk  with  everybody  :  to  Mrs.  T— good 

sense,  —  to  Mary,  good  sense,  with  a  mixture  of  fun,  — 

to  Mrs.  G ,  sentiment,  romance,  and  nonsense. 

Walked  with to  see  General  Knox's  old  man 
sion,  —  a  large,  rusty-looking  edifice  of  wood,  with  some 
grandeur  in  the  architecture,  standing  on  the  banks  of 
the  river,  close  by  the  site  of  an  old  burial-ground,  and 
near  where  an  ancient  fort  had  been  erected  for  defence 
against  the  French  and  Indians.  General  Knox  once 
owned  a  square  of  thirty  miles  in  this  part  of  the  coun 
try  and  he  wished  to  settle  it  with  a  tenantry,  after 


72  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

the  fashion  of  English  gentlemen.  He  would  permit 
no  edifice  to  be  erected  within  a  certain  distance  of  his 
mansion.  His  patent  covered,  of  course,  the  whole 
present  town  of  Waldoborough  and  divers  other  flour 
ishing  commercial  and  country  villages,  and  would  have 
been  of  incalculable  value  could  it  have  remained  un 
broken  to  the  present  time.  But  the  General  lived  in 
grand  style,  and  received  throngs  of  visitors  from  foreign 
parts,  and  was  obliged  to  part  with  large  tracts  of  his 
possessions,  till  now  there  is  little  left  but  the  ruinous 
mansion  and  the  ground  immediately  around  it.  His 
tomb  stands  near  the  house,  —  a  spacious  receptacle,  an 
iron  door  at  the  end  of  a  turf-covered  mound,  and  sur 
mounted  by  an  obelisk  of  marble.  There  are  inscrip 
tions  to  the  memory  of  several  of  his  family ;  for  he  had 
many  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead,  except  one 
daughter,  a  widow  of  fifty,  recently  married  to  Hon. 
John  H .  There  is  a  stone  fence  round  the  monu 
ment.  On  the  outside  of  this  are  the  gravestones,  and 
large,  flat  tombstones  of  the  ancient  burial-ground, — 
the  tombstones  being  of  red  freestone,  with  vacant 
spaces,  formerly  inlaid  with  slate,  on  which  were  the 
inscriptions,  and  perhaps  coats-of-arms.  One  of  these 
spaces  was  in  the  shape  of  a  heart.  The  people  were 
very  wrathful  that  the  General  should  have  laid  out  his 
grounds  over  this  old  burial-place ;  and  he  dared  never 
throw  down  the  gravestones,  though  his  wife,  a  haughty 
English  lady,  often  teased  him  to  do  so.  But  when  the 
old  General  was  dead,  Lady  Knox  (as  they  called  her) 
caused  them  to  be  prostrated,  aj  they  now  lie.  She  was 
a  woman  of  violent  passions,  and  so  proud  an  aristocrat, 
that,  as  long  as  she  lived,  she  would  never  enter  any 


i%7.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  73 

house  in  the  town  except  her  own.  When  a  married 
daughter  was  ill,  she  used  to  go  in  her  carriage  to  the 
door,  and  send  up  to  inquire  how  she  did.  The  General 
was  personally  v^ry  popular  ;  but  his  wife  ruled  him. 
The  house  and  it*  vicinity,  and  the  whole  tract  covered 
by  Knox's  patent,  may  be  taken  as  an  illustration  of 
what  must  be  the  result  of  American  schemes  of  aris 
tocracy.  It  is  not  forty  years  since  this  house  was 
built,  and  Knox  was  in  his  glory  ;  but  now  the  house  is 
all  in  decay,  while  within  a  stone's  throw  of  it  there  is 
a  street  of  smart  white  edifices  of  one  and  two  stories, 
occupied  chiefly  by  thriving  mechanics,  which  has  been 
laid  out  where  Knox  meant  to  have  forests  and  parks. 
On  the  banks  of  the  river,  where  he  intended  to  have 
only  one  wharf  for  his  own  West  Indian  vessels  and 
yacht,  there  are  two  wharves,  with  stores  and  a  lime 
kiln.  Little  appertains  to  the  mansion  except  the  tomb 
and  the  old  burial-ground,  and  the  old  fort. 

The  descendants  are  all  poor,  and  the  inheritance 
was  merely  sufficient  to  make  a  dissipated  and  drunken 
fellow  of  the  only  one  of  the  old  General's  sons  who 
survived  to  middle  age.  The  man's  habits  were  as  bad 
as  possible  as  long  as  he  had  any  money ;  but  when 
quite  ruined,  he  reformed.  The  daughter,  the  only 
survivor  among  Knox's  children  (herself  childless),  is 
a  mild,  amiable  woman,  therein  totally  differing  from 
her  mother.  Knox,  when  he  first  visited  his  estate, 
arriving  in  a  vessel,  was  waited  upon  by  a  deputation 
of  the  squatters,  who  had  resolved  to  resist  him  to  the 
death.  He  received  them  with  genial  courtesy,  made 
them  dine  with  him  aboard  the  vessel,  and  sent  them 
back  to  their  constituents  in  great  love  and  admiration 

VOL.  i.  4 


74  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [_1837. 

of  him.  He  used  to  have  a  vessel  running  to  Phila 
delphia,  I  think,  and  bringing  him  all  sorts  of  delica 
cies.  His  way  of  raising  money  was  to  give  a  mort 
gage  on  his  estate  of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  at  a 
time,  and  receive  that  nominal  amount  in  goods,  which 
he  would  immediately  sell  at  auction  for  perhaps  thirty 
thousand.  He  died  by  a  chicken-bone.  Near  the 
house  are  the  remains  of  a  covered  way,  by  which  the 
French  once  attempted  to  gain  admittance  into  the 
fort ;  but  the  work  caved  in  and  buried  a  good  many  of 
them,  and  the  rest  gave  up  the  siege.  There  was  re 
cently  an  old  inhabitant  living,  who  remembered  when 
the  people  used  to  reside  in  the  fort. 

Owl's  Head,  —  a  watering-place,  terminating  a  point 
of  land,  six  or  seven  miles  from  Thorn aston.  A  long 
island  shuts  out  the  prospect  of  the  sea.  Hither  coasters 
and  fishing-smacks  run  in  when  a  storm  is  anticipated. 
Two  fat  landlords,  both  young  men,  with  something  of 
a  contrast  in  their  dispositions  ;  —  one  of  them  being  a 
brisk,  lively,  active,  jesting,  fat  man  ;  the  other  more 
heavy  and  inert,  making  jests  sluggishly,  if  at  all. 
Aboard  the  steamboat,  Professor  Stuart  of  Andover, 
sitting  on  a  sofa  in  the  saloon,  generally  in  conversation 
with  some  person,  resolving  their  doubts  on  one  point 
or  another,  speaking  in  a  very  audible  voice ;  and 
strangers  standing  or  sitting  around  to  hear  him,  as  if  he 
were  an  ancient  apostle  or  philosopher.  He  is  a  bulky 
man,  with  a  large,  massive  face,  particularly  calm  in  its 
expression,  and  mild  enough  to  be  pleasing.  When  not 
otherwise  occupied,  he  reads,  without  much  notice  of 
what  is  going  on  around  him.  He  speaks  without  effort, 
yet  thoughtfully. 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  75 

We  got  lost  in  a  fog  the  morning  after  leaving  Owl's 
Head.  Fired  .a  brass  cannon,  rang  bell,  blew  steam, 
like  a  whale  snorting.  After  one  of  the  reports  of  the 
cannon,  we  heard  a  horn  blown  at  no  great  distance, 
the  sound  coming  soon  after  the  report.  Doubtful 
whether  it  came  from  the  shore  or  a  vessel.  Contin 
ued  our  ringing  and  snorting ;  and  by  and  by  some 
thing  was  seen  to  mingle  with  the  fog  that  obscured 
everything  beyond  fifty  yards  from  us.  At  first  it 
seemed  only  like  a  denser  wreath  of  fog ;  it  darkened 
still  more,  till  it  took  the  aspect  of  sails ;  then  the  hull 
of  a  small  schooner  came  beating  down  towards  us,  the 
wind  laying  her  over  towards  us,  so  that  her  gunwale 
was  almost  in  the  water,  and  we  could  see  the  whole  of 
her  sloping  deck. 

"  Schooner  ahoy ! "  say  we.  "  Halloo  !  Have  you 
seen  Boston  Light  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  it  bears  north-northwest,  two  miles  distant." 

"  Very  much  obliged  to  you,"  cries  our  captain. 

So  the  schooner  vanishes  into  the  mist  behind.  We 
get  up  our  steam,  and  soon  enter  the  harbor,  meeting 
vessels  of  every  rig ;  and  the  fog,  clearing  away,  shows 
a  cloudy  sky.  Aboard,  an  old  one-eyed  sailor,  who  had 
lost  one  of  his  feet,  and  had  walked  on  the  stump  from. 
Eastport  to  Bangor,  thereby  making  a  shocking  ulcer. 

Penobscot  Bay  is  full  of  islands,  close  to  which  the 
steamboat  is  continually  passing.  Some  are  large,  with 
portions  of  forest  and  portions  of  cleared  land  ;  some 
are  mere  rocks,  with  a  little  green  or  none,  and  inhabited 
by  sea-birds,  which  fly  and  flap  about  hoarsely.  Their 
eggs  may  be  gathered  by  the  bushel,  and  are  good  to 
eat.  Other  islands  have  one  house  and  barn  on 


76  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

this  sole  family  being  lords  and  rulers  of  all  the  land 
which  the  sea  girds.  The  owner  of  such  an  island 
must  have  a  peculiar  sense  of  property  and  lordship ; 
he  must  feel  more  like  his  own  master  and  his  own 
man  than  other  people  can.  Other  islands,  perhaps 
high,  precipitous,  black  bluffs,  are  crowned  with  a 
white  light-house,  whence,  as  evening  comes  on,  twin 
kles  a  star  across  the  melancholy  deep,  —  seen  by 
vessels  coming  on  the  coast,  seen  from  the  main-land, 
seen  from  island  to  island.  Darkness  descending,  and, 
looking  down  at  the  broad  wake  left  by  the  wheels  of 
the  steamboat,  we  may  see  sparkles  of  sea-fire  glitter 
ing  through  the  gloom. 

Salem,  August  22d.  —  A  walk  yesterday  afternoon 
down  to  the  Juniper  and  Winter  Island.  Singular 
effect  of  partial  sunshine,  the  sky  being  broadly  and 
heavily  clouded,  and  land  and  sea,  in  consequence,  be 
ing  generally  overspread  with  a  sombre  gloom.  But 
the  sunshine,  somehow  or  other,  found  its  way  between 
the  interstices  of  the  clouds,  and  illuminated  some  of  the 
distant  objects  very  vividly.  The  white  sails  of  a  ship 
caught  it,  and  gleamed  brilliant  as  sunny  snow,  the  hull 
being  scarcely  visible,  and  the  sea  around  dark  ;  other 
smaller  vessels  too,  so  that  they  looked  like  heavenly- 
winged  things,  just  alighting  on  a  dismal  world.  Shift 
ing  their  sails,  perhaps,  or  going  on  another  tack,  they 
almost  disappear  at  once  in  the  obscure  distance.  Isl 
ands  are  seen  in  summer  sunshine  {jtnd  green  glory ; 
their  rocks  also  sunny  and  their  beaches  white  ;  while 
other  islands,  for  no  apparent  reason,  are  in  deep  shade, 
and  share  the  gloom  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  Some- 


1837.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  77 

times  pait  of  an  island  is  illuminated  and  part  dark. 
When  the  sunshine  falls  on  a  very  distant  island,  near 
er  ones  being  in  shade,  it  seems  greatly  to  extend  the 
bounds  of  visible  space,  and  put  the  horizon  to  a  farther 
distance.  The  sea  roughly  rushing  against  the  shore, 
and  dashing  against  the  rocks,  and  grating  back  over 
the  sands.  A  boat  a  little  way  from  the  shore,  tossing 
and  swinging  at  anchor.  Beach  birds  flitting  from  place 
to  place. 

The  family  seat  of  the  Hawthornes  is  "Wigcastle, 
Wigton,  Wiltshire.  The  present  head  of  the  family, 
now  residing  there,  is  Hugh  Hawthorne.  William 
Hawthorne,  who  came  over  in  1635-36,  was  a  younger 
brother  of  the  family. 

A  young  man  and  girl  meet  together,  each  in  search 
of  a  person  to  be  known  by  some  particular  sign.  They 
watch  and  wait  a  great  while  for  that  person  to  pass. 
At  last  some  casual  circumstance  discloses  that  each  is 
the  one  that  the  other  is  waiting  for.  Moral,  —  that 
what  we  need  for  our  happiness  is  often  close  at  hand, 
if  we  knew  but  how  to  seek  for  it. 

The  journal  of  a  human  heart  for  a  single  day  in  or 
dinary  circumstances.  The  lights  and  shadows  that  flit 
across  it ;  its  internal  vicissitudes. 

Distrust  to  be  thus  exemplified  :  —  Various  good  and 
desirable  things  to  be  presented  to  a  young  man,  and 
offered  to  his  acceptance,  —  as  a  friend,  a  wife,  a  ft>F- 
tune ;  but  he  to  refuse  them  all,  suspecting  that  it  is 


78  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1337 

merely  a  delusion.     Yet  all  to  be  real,  and  he  to  be 
told  so,  when  too  late. 

A  man  tries  to  be  happy  in  love  ;  he  cannot  sincerely 
give  his  heart,  and  the  affair  seems  all  a  dream.  In 
domestic  life,  the  same  ;  in  politics,  a  seeming  patriot ; 
but  still  he  is  sincere,  and  all  seems  like  a  theatre. 

An  old  man,  on  a  summer  day,  sits  on  a  hill-top,  or 
on  the  observatory  of  his  house,  and  sees  the  sun's  light 
pass  from  one  object  to  another  connected  with  the 
events  of  his  past  life,  —  as  the  school-house,  the  place 
where  his  wife  lived  in  her  maidenhood,  —  its  setting 
beams  falling  on  the  churchyard. 

An  idle  man's  pleasures  and  occupations  and  thoughts 
during  a  day  spent  by  the  sea-shore  :  among  them,  that 
of  sitting  on  the  top  of  a  cliff,  and  throwing  stones  at  his 
own  shadow,  far  below. 

A  blind  man  to  set  forth  on  a  walk  through  ways 
unknown  to  him,  and  to  trust  to  the  guidance  of  any 
body  who  will  take  the  trouble ;  the  different  charac 
ters  who  would  undertake  it :  some  mischievous,  some 
well-meaning,  but  incapable  ;  perhaps  one  blind  man 
undertakes  to  lead  another.  At  last,  possibly,  he  re 
jects  all  guidance,  and  blunders  on  by  himself. 

In  the  cabinet  of  the  Essex  Historical  Society,  old 
portraits.  —  Governor  Leverett ;  a  dark  mustachioed 
face,  the  figure  two-thirds  length,  clothed  in  a  sort  of 
frock  coat,  buttoned,  and  a  broad  sword-belt  girded 
round  the  waist,  and  fastened  with  a  large  steel  buckle  ; 


AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  79 

the  hilt  of  the  sword  steel,  —  altogether  very  striking. 
Sir  William  Pepperell,  m  English  regimentals,  coat, 
waistcoat,  and  breeches,  all  of  red  broadcloth,  richly 
gold-embroidered ;  he  holds  a  general's  truncheon  in  his 
right  hand,  and  extends  the  left  towards  the  batteries 
erected  against  Louisbourg,  in  the  country  near  which 
he  is  standing.  Endicott,  Pyncheon,  and  others,  in 
scarlet  robes,  band.-5,  &c.  Half  a  dozen  or  more  family 
portraits  of  the  Olivers,  some  in  plain  dresses,  brown, 
crimson,  or  claret ;  others  with  gorgeous  gold-em 
broidered  waistcoats,  descending  almost  to  the  knees,  so 
as  to  form  the  most  conspicuous  article  of  dress.  La 
dies,  with  lace  ruffles,  the  painting  of  which,  in  one  of 
the  pictures,  cost  five  guineas.  Peter  Oliver,  who  was 
crazy,  used  to  fight  with  these  family  pictures  in  the  old 
Mansion  House ;  and  the  face  and  breast  of  one  lady 
bear  cuts  and  stabs  inflicted  by  him.  Miniatures  in 
oil,  with  the  paint  peeling  off,  of  stern,  old,  yellow  faces. 
Oliver  Cromwell,  apparently  an  old  picture,  half  length, 
or  one  third,  in  an  oval  frame,  probably  painted  for  some 
New  England  partisan.  Some  pictures  that  had  been 
partly  obliterated  by  scrubbing  with  sand.  The  dress 
es,  embroidery,  laces  of  the  Oliver  family  are  generally 
better  done  than  the  face*.  Governor  Leverett's 
gloves,  —  the  glove  part  of.  coarse  leather,  but  round  the 
wrist  a  deep,  three  or  four  inch  border  of  spangles  and 
silver  embroidery.  Old  drinking-glasses,  with  tall 
stalks.  A  black  glass  bottle,  stamped  with  the  name 
of  Philip  English,  with  a  broad  bottom.  The  baby- 
linen,  &c.,  of  Governor  Bradford  of  Plymouth  County. 
Old  manuscript  sermons,  some  written  in  short-hand, 
others  in  a  hand  that  seems  learnt  from  print. 


80  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

Nothing  gives  a  stronger  idea  of  old  worm-eaten  aris 
tocracy  —  of  a  family  being  crazy  with  age,  and  of  its 
being  time  that  it  was  extinct  —  than  these  black,  dusty, 
faded,  antique-dressed  portraits,  such  as  those  of  the 
Oliver  family ;  the  identical  old  white  wig  of  an  ancient 
minister  producing  somewhat  the  impression  that  his 
very  scalp,  or  some  other  portion  of  his  personal  self, 
would  do. 

The  excruciating  agonies  which  Nature  inflicts  on 
men  (who  break  her  laws)  to  be  represented  as  the 
work  of  human  tormentors ;  as  the  gout,  by  screwing 
the  toes.  Thus  we  might  find  that  worse  than  the  tor 
tures  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition  are  daily  suffered  with 
out  exciting  notice. 

Suppose  a  married  couple  fondly  attached  to  one  an 
other,  and  to  think  that  they  lived  solely  for  one  anoth 
er  ;  then  it  to  be  found  out  that  they  were  divorced,  or 
that  they  might  separate  if  they  chose.  What  would 
be  its  effect? 

Monday,  August  27th.  —  Went  to  Boston  last  Wednes 
day.  Remarkables :  —  An  author  at  the  American 
Stationers'  Company,  slapping  his  hand  on  his  manu 
script,  and  crying,  "  I  'm  going  to  publish."  —  An  ex 
cursion  aboard  a  steamboat  to  Thompson's  Island,  to 
visit  the  Manual  Labor  School  for  boys.  Aboard  the 
steamboat  several  poets  and  various  other  authors  ;  a 
Commodore,  —  Colton,  a  small,  dark  brown,  sickly  man, 
with  a  good  deal  of  roughness  in  his  address ;  Mr. 
Waterston,  talking  poetry  and  philosophy.  Examina- 


18J7.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  81 

tion  and  exhibition  of  the  boys,  little  tanned  agricultu 
rists.  After  examination,  a  stroll  round  the  island,  ex 
amining  the  products,  as  wheat  in  sheaves  on  the  stub 
ble-field  ;  oats,  somewhat  blighted  and  spoiled ;  great 
pumpkins  elsewhere  ;  pastures  ;  mowing  ground  ;  —  all 
cultivated  by  the  boys.  Their  residence,  a  great  brick 
building,  painted  green,  and  standing  on  the  summit  of 
a  rising  ground,  exposed  to  the  winds  of  the  bay.  Ves 
sels  flitting  past ;  great  ships,  with  intricacy  of  rigging 
and  various  sails ;  schooners,  sloops,  with  their  one  or 
two  broad  sheets  of  canvas :  going  on  different  tacks, 
so  that  the  spectator  might  think  that  there  was  a  dif 
ferent  wind  for  each  vessel,  or  that  they  scudded  across 
the  sea  spontaneously,  whither  their  own  wills  led  them. 
The  farm  boys  remain  insulated,  looking  at  the  passing 
show,  within  sight  of  the  city,  yet  having  nothing  to  do 
with  it ;  beholding  their  fellow-creatures  skimming  by 
them  in  winged  machines,  and  steamboats  snorting  and 
puffing  through  the  waves.  Methinks  an  island  would 
be  the  most  desirable  of  all  landed  property,  for  it 
seems  like  a  little  world  by  itself ;  and  the  water  may 
answer  instead  of  the  atmosphere  that  surrounds  plan 
ets.  The  boys  swinging,  two  together,  standing  up,  and 
almost  causing  the  ropes  and  their  bodies  to  stretch  out 
horizon  tally.  On  our  departure,  they  ranged  themselves 
on  the  rails  of  the  fence,  and,  being  dresse'd  in  blue, 
looked  not  unlike  a  flock  of  pigeons. 

On  Friday,  a  visit  to  the  Navy  Yard  at  Charlestown, 
in  company  with  the  Naval  Officer  of  Boston,  and  Cil- 
ley.  Dined  aboard  the  revenue-cutter  Hamilton.  A 
pretty  cabin,  finished  off  with  bird's-eye  maple  and  ma 
hogany;  two  looking-glasses.  Two  officers  in  blue 

4*  F 


82  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  |"lS37. 

frocks,  with  a  stripe  of  lace  on  each  shoulder.  Dinner, 
chowder,  fried  fish,  corned  beef,  —  claret,  afterwards 
champagne.  The  waiter  tells  the  Captain  of  the  cutter 
that  Captain  Percival  (Commander  of  the  Navy  Yard) 
is  sitting  on  the  deck  of  the  anchor  hoy  (which  lies  in 
side  of  the  cutter),  smoking  his  cigar.  The  Captain 
sends  him  a  glass  of  champagne,  and  inquires  of  the 
waiter  what  Percival  says  to  it.  "  He  said,  sir,  '  What 
does  he  send  me  this  damned  stuff  for  ? '  but  drinks, 
nevertheless."  The  Captain  characterizes  Percival  as 
the  roughest  old  devil  that  ever  was  in  his  manners, 
but  a  kind,  good-hearted  man  at  bottom.  By  and  by 
comes  in  the  steward.  "  Captain  Percival  is  coming 
aboard  of  you,  sir."  "  Well,  ask  him  to  walk  down  in 
to  the  cabin  "  ;  and  shortly  down  comes  old  Captain  Per 
cival,  a  white-haired,  thin-visaged,  weather-worn  old 
gentleman,  in  a  blue,  Quaker-cut  coat,  with  tarnished 
lace  and  brass  buttons,  a  pair  of  drab  pantaloons,  and 
brown  waistcoat.  There  was  an  eccentric  expression 
in  his  face,  which  seemed  partly  wilful,  partly  natural. 
He  has  not  risen  to  his  present  rank  in  the  regular  line 
of  the  profession  ;  but  entered  the  navy  as  a  sailing- 
piaster,  and  has  all  the  roughness  of  that  class  of  offi 
cers.  Nevertheless,  he  knows  how  to  behave  and  to 
talk  like  a  gentleman.  Sitting  down,  and  taking  in  hand 
a  glass  of  champagne,  he  began  a  lecture  on  economy, 
and  how  well  it  was  that  Uncle  Sam  had  a  broad  back, 
being  compelled  to  bear  so  many  burdens  as  were  laid 
on  it,  —  alluding  to  the  table  covered  with  wine-bottles. 
Then  he  spoke  of  the  fitting  up  of  the  cabin  with  ex 
pensive  woods,  —  of  the  brooch  in  Captain  Scott's  bo- 
eom.  Then  he  proceeded  to  discourse  of  politics,  taking 


183?.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  83 

tlie  opposite  side  to  Cilley,  and  arguing  with  much  per 
tinacity.  He  seems  to  have  moulded  and  shaped  him 
self  to  his  own  whims,  till  a  sort  of  rough  affectation 
has  become  thoroughly  imbued  throughout  a  kindly  na 
ture.  He  is  full  of  antique  prejudices  against  the  mod 
ern  fashions  of  the  younger  officers,  their  mustaches 
and  such  fripperies,  and  prophesies  little  better  than 
disgrace  in  case  of  another  \var ;  owning  that  the  boys 
would  fight  for  their  country,  and  die  for  her,  but  deny 
ing  that  there  are  any  officers  novt  like  Hull  and  Stu 
art,  whose  exploits,  nevertheless,  he  greatly  depreci 
ated,  saying  that  the  Boxer  an4  Enterprise  fought 
the  only  equal  battle  which  we  won  during  the  war ; 
and  that,  in  that  action,  an  officer  had  proposed  to  haul 
down  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  a  common  sailor  threat 
ened  to  cut  him  to  pieces  if  he  should  do  so.  He 
spoke  of  Bainbridge  as  a  sot  and  a  poltroon,  who  want 
ed  to  run  from  the  Macedonian,  pretending  to  take  her 
for  a  line-of-battle  ship  ;  of  Commodore  Elliot  as  a  liar ; 
but  praised  Commodore  Dowiies  in  the  highest  terms. 
Percival  seems  to  be  the  very  pattern  of  old  integrity ; 
taking  as  much  care  of  Uncle  Sam's  interests  as  if  all 
the  money  expended  were  to  come  out  of  his  own  pock 
et.  This  quality  was  displayed  in  his  resistance  to  the 
demand  of  a  new  patent  capstan  for  the  revenue-cutter, 
which,  however,  Scott  is  resolved  in  such  a  sailor-like 
way  to  get,  that  he  will  probably  succeed.  Percival 
spoke  to  me  of  how  his  business  in  the  yard  absorbed 
him,  especially  the  fitting  of  the  Columbus  seventy-four, 
of  which  ship  he  discoursed  with  great  enthusiasm. 
He  seems  to  have  no  ambition  beyond  his  present  du 
ties,  perhaps  never  had  any ;  at  any  rate,  he  now  pass- 


84  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

es  his  life  with  a  sort  of  gruff  contentedness,  grumbling 
and  growling,  yet  in  good  humor  enough.  He  is  con 
scious  of  his  peculiarities  ;  for  when  I  asked  him  wheth 
er  it  would  be  well  to  make  a  naval  officer  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  he  said,  "  God  forbid,  for  that  an  old  sailor 
was  always  full  of  prejudices  and  stubborn  whim- 
whams,"  instancing  himself;  whereto  I  agreed.  We 
went  round  the  Navy  Yard  with  Percival  and  Commo 
dore  Downes,  the  latter  a  sailor  and  a  gentleman  too, 
with  rather  more  of  the  ocean  than  the  drawing-room 
about  him,  but  courteous,  frank,  and  good-natured. 
We  looked  at  rope  walks,  rigging-lofts,  ships  in  the 
stocks ;  and  saw  the  sailors  of  the  station  laughing  and 
sporting  with  great  mirth  and  cheerfulness,  which  the 
Commodore  said  was  much  increased  at  sea.  We  re 
turned  to  the  wharf  at  Boston  in  the  cutter's  boat. 
Captain  Scott,  of  the  cutter,  told  me  a  singular  story  of 
what  occurred  during  the  action  between  the  Constitu 
tion  and  Macedonian,  —  he  being  powder-monkey  aboard 
the  former  ship.  A  cannon-shot  came  through  the 
ship's  side,  and  a  man's  head  was  struck  off,  probably 
by  a  splinter,  for  it  was  done  without  bruising  the  head 
or  body,  as  clean  as  by  a  razor.  Well,  the  man  was 
walking  pretty  briskly  at  the  time  of  the  accident ;  and 
Scott  seriously  affirmed  that  he  kept  walking  onward  at 
the  same  pace,  with  two  jets  of  blood  gushing  from  his 
headless  trunk,  till,  after  going  about  twenty  feet  with 
out  a  head,  he  sunk  down  at  once,  with  his  legs  under 
him. 

[In  corroboration  of  the  truth  of  this,  see  Lord  Bacon, 
Century  IV.  of  his  Sylva  Sylvarum,  or  Natural  His 
tory,  in  Ten  Centuries,  paragraph  400.] 


IS37.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  85 

On  Saturday,  I  called  to  see  E.  H ,  having  pre 
viously  appointed  a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring 
about  our  name.  He  is  an  old  bachelor,  and  truly  for 
lorn.  The  pride  of  ancestry  seems  to  be  his  great  hobby. 
He  had  a  good  many  old  papers  in  his  desk  at  the  Cus- 
tom-House,  which  he  produced  and  dissertated  upon, 
and  afterwards  went  with  me  to  his  sister's,  and  showed 
me  an  old  book,  with  a  record  of  the  children  of  the 
first  emigrant  (who  came  over  two  hundred  years  ago), 
in  his  own  handwriting.  E 's  manners  are  gentle 
manly,  and  he  seems  to  be  very  well  informed.  At  a 
little  distance,  I  think,  one  would  take  him  to  be  not 
much  over  thirty ;  but  nearer  at  hand  one  finds  him  to 
look  rather  venerable,  —  perhaps  fifty  or  more.  He  is 
nervous,  and  his  hands  shook  while  he  was  looking  over 
the  papers,  as  if  he  had  been  startled  by  my  visit; 
and  when  we  came  to  the  crossings  of  streets,  he 
darted  across,  cautioning  me,  as  if  both  were  in  great 
danger  to  be  run  over.  Nevertheless,  being  very  quick 
tempered,  he  would  face  the  Devil  if  at  all  irritated. 
He  gave  a  most  forlorn  description  of  his  life ;  how, 
when  he  came  to  Salem,  there  was  nobody  except 
Mr. whom  he  cared  about  seeing ;  how  his  posi 
tion  prevented  him  from  accepting  of  civilities,  because 
he  had  no  home  where  he  could  return  them;  in 
short,  he  seemed  about  as  miserable  a  being  as  is  to  be 
found  anywhere,  —  lonely,  and  with  sensitiveness  to  feel 
his  loneliness,  and  capacities,  now  withered,  to  have 
enjoyed  the  sweets  of  life.  I  suppose  he  is  comfortable 
enough  when  busied  in  his  duties  at  the  Custom- House  ; 
for  when  I  spoke  to  him  at  my  entrance,  he  was  too 
much  absorbed  to  hear  me  at  first.  As  we  walked,  he 


8t)  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837* 

kept  telling  stories  of  the  family,  which  seeded  to  have 
comprised  many  oddities,  eccentric  men  and  women, 
recluses  and  other  kinds,  —  one  of  old  Philip  English 
(a  Jersey  man,  the  name  originally  L' Anglais),  who  had 
been  persecuted  by  John  Hawthorne,  of  witch-time 
memory,  and  a  violent  quarrel  ensued.  When  Philip 
lay  on  his  death-bed,  he  consented  to  forgive  his  perse 
cutor  ;  "  But  if  I  get  well,"  said  he,  "  I  '11  be  damned  if 
I  forgive  him ! "  This  Philip  left  daughters,  one  of 
whom  married,  I  believe,  the  son  of  the  persecuting 
John,  and  thus  all  the  legitimate  blood  of  English  is  in 

our  family.     E passed  from  the  matters  of  birth, 

pedigree,  and  ancestral  pride  to  give  vent  to  the  most 
arrant  democracy  and  locofocoism  that  I  ever  happened 
to  hear,  saying  that  nobody  ought  to  possess  wealth 
longer  than  his  own  life,  and  that  then  it  should  return 

to  the   people,   &c.     He   says    S.  I has   a   great 

fund  of  traditions  about  the  family,  which  she  learned 
from  her  mother  or  grandmother  (I  forget  which),  one 
of  them  being  a  Hawthorne.  The  old  lady  was  a  very 

proud  woman,  and,  as    E says,  "  proud   of  being 

proud,"  and  so  is  S.  I . 

October  7th.  —  A  walk  in  Northfields  in  the  after 
noon.  Bright  sunshine  and  autumnal  warmth,  giving  a 
sensation  quite  unlike  the  same  degree  of  warmth  in 
summer.  Oaks,  —  some  brown,  some  reddish,  some  still 
green ;  walnuts,  yellow,  —  fallen  leaves  and  acorns 
lying  beneath  ;  the  footsteps  crumple  them  in  walking. 
In  sunny  spots  beneath  the  trees,  where  green  grass  is 
overs  trewn  by  the  dry,  fallen  foliage,  as  I  passed,  I  dis 
turbed  multitudes  of  grasshoppers  basking  in  the  warm 


2837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-bOOKS.  87 

sunshine ;  and  they  began  to  hop,  hop,  hop,  pattering 
on  the  dry  leaves  like  big  and  heavy  drops  of  a  thun 
der-shower.  They  were  invisible  till  they  hopped. 
Boys  gathering  walnuts.  Passed  an  orchard,  where  two 
men  were  gathering  the  apples.  A  wagon,  with  barrels, 
stood  among  the  trees  ;  the  men's  coats  flung  on  the 
fence  ;  the  apples  lay  in  heaps,  and  each  of  the  men  was 
up  in  a  separate  tree.  They  conversed  together  in  loud 
voices,  which  the  air  caused  to  ring  still  louder,  jeering 
each  other,  boasting  of  their  own  feats  in  shaking  down 
the  apples.  One  got  into  the  very  top  of  his  tree,  and 
gave  a  long  and  mighty  shake,  and  the  big  apples  came 
down  thump,  thump,  bushels  hitting  on  the  ground  at 
once.  "  There  !  did  you  ever  hear  anything  like  that  ?  " 
cried  he.  This  sunny  scene  was  pretty.  A  horse  feed 
ing  apart,  belonging  to  the  wagon.  The  barberry- 
bushes  have  some  red  fruit  on  them,  but  they  are  frost 
bitten.  The  rose-bushes  have  their  scarlet  hips. 

Distant  clumps  of  trees,  now  that  the  variegated  fo 
liage  adorns  them,  have  a  phantasmagorian,  an  appa 
rition-like  appearance.  They  seem  to  be  of  some  kin 
dred  to  the  crimson  and  gold  cloud-islands.  It  would 
not  be  strange  to  see  phantoms  peeping  forth  from  their 
recesses.  When  the  sun  was  almost  below  the  horizon, 
his  rays,  gilding  the  upper  branches  of  a  yellow  walnut- 
tree,  had  an  airy  and  beautiful  effect,  —  the  gentle  con 
trast  between  the  tint  of  the  yellow  in  the  shade  and  its 
ethereal  gold  in  the  fading  sunshine.  The  woods  tha* 
crown  distant  uplands  were  seen  to  great  advantage  in 
these  last  rays,  for  the  sunshine  perfectly  marked  out 
and  distinguished  every  shade  of  color,  varnishing  them 
as  it  were ;  while  the  country  round,  both  hill  ard 


88  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

plain,  being  in  gloomy  shadow,  the  woods  looked  the 
brighter  for  it. 

The  tide,  being  high,  had  flowed  almost  into  the  Cold 
Spring,  so  its  small  current  hardly  issued  forth  from  the 
basin.  As  I  approached,  two  little  eels,  about  as  long  as 
my  finger,  and  slender  in  proportion,  wriggled  out  of 
the  basin.  They  had  come  from  the  salt  water.  An 
Indian-corn  field,  as  yet  unharvested,  —  huge,  golden 
pumpkins  scattered  among  the  hills  of  corn,  —  a  noble- 
looking  fruit.  After  the  sun  was  down,  the  sky  was 
deeply  dyed  with  a  broad  sweep  of  gold,  high  towards 
the  zenith ;  not  flaming  brightly,  but  of  a  somewhat  dusky 
gold.  A  piece  of  water,  extending  towards  the  west, 
between  high  banks,  caught  the  reflection,  and  appeared 
like  a  sheet  of  brighter  and  more  glistening  gold  than 
the  sky  which  made  it  bright. 

Dandelions  and  blue  flowers  are  still  growing  in 
sunny  places.  Saw  in  a  barn  a  prodigious  treasure  of 
onions  in  their  silvery  coats,  exhaling  a  penetrating 
perfume. 

How  exceeding  bright  looks  the  sunshine,  casually 
reflected  from  a  looking-glass  into  a  gloomy  region  of 
the  chamber,  distinctly  marking  out  the  figures  and 
colors  of  the  paper  hangings,  which  are  scarcely  seen 
elsewhere.  It  is  like  the  light  of  mind  thrown  on  an 
obscure  subject. 

Man's  finest  workmanship,  the  closer  you  observe  it, 
the  more  imperfections  it  shows ;  as  in  a  piece  oi 
polished  steel  a  microscope  will  discover  a  rough  sur 
face.  Whereas,  what  may  look  coarse  and  rough  in 


f83r.j  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  89 


tcurkmanship  will  show  an  infinitely  minute 
perfection,  ihe  closer  you  look  into  it.  The  reason  of 
the  minute  superiority  of  Nature's  work  over  man's  is, 
that  the  forn.ei  works  from  the  innermost  germ,  while 
the  latter  wovk^  merely  superficially. 

Standing  in  the  cross-road  that  leads  by  the  Mineral 
Spring,  and  looking  towards  an  opposite  shore  of  the 
lake,  an  ascending  bank,  with  a  dense  border  of  trees, 
green,  yellow,  red,  i  asset,  all  bright  colors,  brightened 
by  the  mild  brilliancy  of  the  descending  sun  ;  it  was 
strange  to  recognize  the  sober  old  friends  of  spring  and 
summer  in  this  new  dress.  By  the  by,  a  pretty  riddle 
or  fable  might  be  made  out  of  the  changes  in  apparel  of 
the  familiar  trees  round  a  house,  adapted  for  children. 
But  in  the  lake,  beneath  the  afoiesaid  border  of  trees,  — 
the  water  being,  not  rippled,  but  its  glassy  surface 
somewhat  moved  and  shaken  by  the  remote  agitation  of 
a  breeze  that  was  breathing  on  the  outer  lake,  —  this 
being  in  a  sort  of  bay,  —  in  the  slightly  agitated  mirror, 
the  variegated  trees  were  reflected  dreamily  and  indis 
tinctly;  a  broad  belt  of  bright  and  diversified  colors 
shining  in  the  water  beneath.  Sometimes  the  image  of 
a  tree  might  be  almost  traced;  then  nothing  but  this 
sweep  of  broken  rainbow.  It  was  like  the  recollection 
of  the  real  scene  in  an  observer's  mind,  —  a  confused 
radiance. 

A  whirlwind,  whirling  the  dried  leaves  round  in  a 
circle,  not  very  violently. 

.     To  well  consider  the  characters  of  a  family  of  persona 


90  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

in  a  certain  condition,  —  in  poverty,  for  instance, —  and 
endeavor  to  judge  how  an  altered  condition  would  affect 
the  character  of  each. 

The  aromatic  odor  of  peat  smoke  in  the  sunny 
autumnal  air  is  very  pleasant. 

Saletn,  October  14th.  —  A  walk  through  Beverly  to 
Browne's  Hill,  and  home  by  the  iron  factory.  A 
bright,  cool  afternoon.  The  trees,  in  a  large  part  of  the 
space  through  which  I  passed,  appeared  to  be  in  their 
fullest  glory,  bright  red,  yellow,  some  of  a  tender  green, 
appearing  at  a  distance  as  if  bedecked  with  new  foliage, 
though  this  emerald  tint  was  likewise  the  effect  of  frost. 
In  some  places,  large  tracts  of  ground  were  covered 
as  with  a  scarlet  cloth,  —  the  underbrush  being  thus 
colored.  The  general  character  of  these  autumnal 
colors  is  not  gaudy,  scarcely  gay;  there  is  something 
too  deep  and  rich  in  it :  it  is  gorgeous  and  magnificent, 
but  with  a  sobriety  diffused.  The  pastures  at  the  foot 
of  Browne's  Hill  were  plentifully  covered  with  barber 
ry-bushes,  the  leaves  of  which  were  reddish,  and  they 
were  hung  with  a  prodigious  quantity  of  berries.  From 
the  summit  of  the  hill,  looking  down  a  tract  of  wood 
land  at  a  considerable  distance,  so  that  the  interstices 
between  the  trees  could  not  be  seen,  their  tops  presented 
an  unbroken  level,  and  seemed  somewhat  like  a  richlj 
variegated  carpet.  The  prospect  from  the  hill  is  wide 
and  interesting;  but  methinks  it  is  pleasanter  in  ths 
more  immediate  vicinity  of  the  hill  than  miles  away. 
It  is  agreeable  to  look  down  at  the  square  patches  ot' 
cornlield,  or  of  potato-ground,  or  of  cabbages  still 


1837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  9i 

green,  or  of  beets  looking  red,  —  all  a  man's  farm,  in 
short, — each  portion  of  which  he  considers  separately 
so  important,  while  you  take  in  the  whole  at  a  glance. 
Then  to  cast  your  eye  over  so  many  different  establish 
ments  at  once,  and  rapidly  compare  them,  —  here  a 
house  of  gentility,  with  shady  old  yellow-leaved  elms 
hanging  around  it ;  there  a  new  little  white  dwell 
ing  ;  there  an  old  farm-house ;  to  see  the  barns  and 
sheds  and  all  the  out-houses  clustered  together;  to 
comprehend  the  oneness  and  exclusiveness  and  what 
constitutes  the  peculiarity  of  each  of  so  many  estab 
lishments,  and  to  have  in  your  mind  a  multitude  of 
them,  each  of  which  is  the  most  important  part  of  the 
world  to  those  who  live  in  it,  —  this  really  enlarges  the 
mind,  and  you  come  down  the  hill  somewhat  wiser  than 
you  go  up.  Pleasant  to  look  over  an  orchard  far 
below,  and  see  the  trees,  each  casting  its  own  shadow ; 
the  white  spires  of  meeting-houses ;  a  sheet  of  water, 
partly  seen  among  swelling  lands.  This  Browne's  Hill 
is  a  long  ridge,  lying  in  the  midst  of  a  large,  level 
plain  ;  it  looks  at  a  distance  somewhat  like  a  whale, 
with  its  head  and  tail  under  water,  but  its  immense 
back  protruding,  with  steep  sides,  and  a  gradual  curve 
along  its  length.  When  you  have  climbed  it  on  one 
side,  and  gaze  from  the  summit  at  the  other,  you  feel  as 
if  you  had  made  a  discovery,  —  the  landscape  being 
^uite  different  on  the  two  sides.  The  cellar  of  the  house 
which  formerly  crowned  the  hill,  and  used  to  be  named 
Browne's  Folly,  still  remains,  two  grass-grown  and 
shallow  hollows,  on  the  highest  part  of  the  ridge.  The 
*iouse  consisted  of  two  wings,  each  perhaps  sixty  feet  in 
length,  united  by  a  middle  part,  in  which  was  the 


92  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [lV> 

entrance-hall,  and  which  looked  lengthwise  along  tin 
hill.  The  foundation  of  a  spacious  porch  may  be  traced 
on  either  side  of  the  central  portion  ;  some  of  the  stones 
still  remain  ;  but  even  where  they  are  gone,  the  line  of 
the  porch  is  still  traceable  by  the  greener  verdure.  Ir* 
the  collar,  or  rather  in  the  two  cellars,  grow  one  or  two 
barberry-bushes,  with  frost-bitten  fruit ;  there  is  alsc 
yarrow  w:*h  its  white  flower,  and  yellow  dandelions 
The  cellars-  are  still  deep  enough  to  shelter  a  person,  aP 
but  his  head  at  least,  from  the  wind  on  the  summit  of 
the  hill ;  but  they  are  all  grass-grown.  A  line  of  tree* 
seems  to  have  been  planted  along  the  ridge  of  the  hill. 
The  edifice  must  have  made  quite  a  magnificent  appear 
ance. 

Characteristics  during  the  walk :  —  Apple-trees  with 
only  here  and  there  an  apple  on  the  boughs,  among  the 
thinned  leaves,  the  relics  of  a  gathering.  In  others  you 
observe  a  rustling,  and  see  the  buughs  shaking  and  hear 
the  apples  thumping  down,  without  seeing  the  person 
who  does  it.  Apples  scattered  by  the  wayside,  some 
with  pieces  bitten  out,  others  entire,  which  you 
pick  up,  and  taste,  and  find  them  harsh,  crabbed  cider- 
apples,  though  they  have  a  pretty,  waxen  appearance. 
In  sunny  spots  of  woodland,  boys  in  search  of  nuts: 
looking  picturesque  among  the  scarlet  and  golden 
foliage.  There  is  something  in  this  sunny  autumna) 
atmosphere  that  gives  a  peculiar  effect  to  laughter  and 
joyous  voices,  —  it  makes  them  infinitely  more  elastic 
and  gladsome  than  at  other  seasons.  Heaps  of  dry 
leaves  tossed  together  by  the  wind,  as  if  for  a  couch  and 
lounging-place  for  the  weary  traveller,  while  the  sun  is 
warming  it  for  him.  Golden  pumpkins  and  squashes. 


l837.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  93 

heaped  in  the  angle  of  a  house,  till  they  reach  the  lower 
windows.  Ox-tearns,  laden  with  a  rustling  load  of 
Indian  corn,  in  the  stalk  and  ear.  When  an  inlet  of 
the  sea  runs  far  up  into  the  country,  you  stare  to  see  a 
large  schooner  appear  amid  the  rural  landscape  ;  she  is 
unloading  a  cargo  of  wood,  moist  with  rain  or  salt  water 
that  has  dashed  over  it.  Perhaps  you  hear  the  sound 
of  an  axe  in  the  woodland ;  occasionally,  the  report  of  a 
fowling-piece.  The  travellers  in  the  early  part  of  the 
afternoon  look  warm  and  comfortable  as  if  taking  a 
summer  drive  ;  but  as  eve  draws  nearer,  you  meet 
them  well  wrapped  in  top-coats  or  cloaks,  or  rough, 
great  surtouts,  and  red-nosed  withal,  seeming  to  take  no 
great  comfort,  but  pressing  homeward.  The  character 
istic  conversation  among  teamsters  and  country  squires, 
where  the  ascent  of  a  hill  causes  the  chaise  to  go  at  the 
same  pace  as  an  ox-team,  —  perhaps  discussing  the 
qualities  of  a  yoke  of  oxen.  The  cold,  blue  aspects  of 
sheets  of  water.  Some  of  the  country  shops  with  the 
doors  closed ;  others  still  open  as  in  summer.  I  meet  a 
wood-sawyer,  with  his  horse  and  saw  on  his  shoulders, 
returning  from  work.  As  night  draws  on,  you  begin  to 
see  the  gleaming  of  fires  on  the  ceilings  in  the  houses 
which  you  pass.  The  comfortless  appearance  of 
houses  .at  bleak  and  bare  spots,  —  you  wonder  how 
there  can  be  any  enjoyment  in  them.  I  meet  a  girl  in 
a  chintz  gown,  with  a  small  shawl  on  her  shoulders, 
white  stockings,  and  summer  morocco  shoes,  —  it  looks 
observable.  Turkeys,  queer,  solemn  objects,  in  black 
attire,  grazing  about,  and  trying  to  peck  the  fallen 
apples,  which  slip  away  from  their  bills. 


94  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

October  16th.  —  Spent  the  whole  afternoon  in  a  ram 
ble  to  the  sea-shore,  near  Phillips's  Beach.  A  beautiful, 
warm,  sunny  afternoon,  the  very  pleasantest  day,  prob 
ably,  that  there  has  been  in  the  whole  course  of  the 
year.  People  at  work,  harvesting,  without  their  coats. 
Cocks,  with  their  squad  of  hens,  in  the  grass-fields, 
hunting  grasshoppers,  chasing  them  eagerly  with  out 
spread  wings,  appearing  to  take  much  interest  in  the 
sport,  apart  from  the  profit.  Other  hens  picking  up  the 
ears  of  Indian  corn.  Grasshoppers,  flies,  and  flying 
insects  of  all  sorts,  are  more  abundant  in  these  warm 
autumnal  days  than  I  have  seen  them  at  any  other 
time.  Yellow  butterflies  flutter  about  in  the  sunshine, 
singly,  by  pairs,  or  more,  and  are  wafted  on  the  gentle 
gales.  The  crickets  begin  to  sing  early  in  the  afternoon, 
and  sometimes  a  locust  may  be  heard.  In  some  warm 
spots,  a  pleasant  buzz  of  many  insects. 

Crossed  the  fields  near  Brookhouse's  villa,  and  came 
upon  a  long  beach,  —  at  least  a  mile  long,  I  should 
think,  —  terminated  by  craggy  rocks  at  either  end,  and 
backed  by  a  high  broken  bank,  the  grassy  summit  of 
which,  year  by  year,  is  continually  breaking  away,  and 
precipitated  to  the  bottom.  At  the  foot  of  the  bank,  in 
some  parts,  is  a  vast  number  of  pebbles  and  paving- 
stones,  rolled  up  thither  by  the  sea  long  ago.  The 
beach  is  of  a  brown  sand,  with  hardly  any  pebbles  in 
termixed  upon  it.  When  the  tide  is  part  way  down, 
there  is  a  margin  of  several  yards  from  the  water's 
edge,  along  the  whole  mile  length  of  the  beach,  which 
glistens  like  a  mirror,  and  reflects  objects,  and  shines 
bright  in  the  sunshine,  the  sand  being  wet  to  that  dis 
tance  from  the  water.  Above  this  margin  the  sand  is 


1337.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  95 

not  wet,  and  grows  less  and  less  damp  the  farther  to 
wards  the  bank  you  keep.  In  some  places  your  foot 
step  is  perfectly  implanted,  showing  the  whole  shape, 
and  the  square  toe,  and  every  nail  in  the  heel  of  your 
boot.  Elsewhere,  the  impression  is  imperfect,  and  even 
when  you  stamp,  you  cannot  imprint  the  whole.  As 
you  tread,  a  dry  spot  flashes  around  your  step,  and 
grows  moist  as  you  lift  your  foot  again.  Pleasant  to 
pass  along  this  extensive  walk,  watching  the  surf-wave ; 
—  how  sometimes  it  seems  to  make  a  feint  of  breaking, 
but  dies  away  ineffectually,  merely  kissing  the  strand ; 
then,  after  many  such  abortive  efforts,  it  gathers  itself, 
and  forms  a  high  wall,  and  rolls  onward,  heightening  and 
heightening  without  foam  at  the  summit  of  the  green  line, 
and  at  last  throws  itself  fiercely  on  the  beach,  with  a  loud 
roar,  the  spray  flying  above.  As  you  walk  along,  you 
are  preceded  by  a  flock  of  twenty  or  thirty  beach  birds, 
which  are  seeking,  I  suppose,  for  food  on  the  margin 
of  the  surf,  yet  seem  to  be  merely  sporting,  chasing  the 
sea  as  it  retires,  and  running  up  before  the  impending 
wave.  Sometimes  they  let  it  bear  them  off  their  feet, 
and  float  lightly  on  its  breaking  summit :  sometimes 
they  flutter  and  seem  to  rest  on  the  feathery  spray. 
They  are  little  birds  with  gray  backs  and  snow-white 
breasts ;  their  images  may  be  seen  in  the  wet  sand 
almost  or  quite  as  distinctly  as  the  reality.  Their  legs 
are  long.  As  you  draw  near,  they  take  a  flight  of  a 
score  of  yards  or  more,  and  then  recommence  their  dal 
liance  with  the  surf-wave.  You  may  behold  their  mul 
titudinous  little  tracks  all  along  your  way.  Before  you 
reach  the  end  of  the  beach,  you  become  quite  attached 
to  these  little  sea-birds,  and  take  much  interest  in  their 


96  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

occupations.  After  passing  in  one  direction,  it  is  pleas 
ant  then  to  retrace  your  footsteps.  Your  tracks  being 
all  traceable,  you  may  recall  the  whole  mood  and  occu 
pation  of  your  mind  during  your  first  passage.  Here 
you  turned  somewhat  aside  to  pick  up  a  shell  that  you 
saw  nearer  the  water's  edge.  Here  you  examined  a 
long  sea-weed,  and  trailed  its  length  after  you  for  a  con 
siderable  distance.  Here  the  effect  of  the  wide  sea 
struck  you  suddenly.  Here  you  fronted  the  ocean, 
looking  at  a  sail,  distant  in  the  sunny  blue.  Here  you 
looked  at  some  plant  on  the  bank.  Here  some  vagary 
of  mind  seems  to  have  bewildered  you  ;  for  your  tracks 
go  round  and  round,  and  interchange  each  other  with 
out  visible  reason.  Here  you  picked  up  pebbles  and 
skipped  them  upon  the  water.  Here  you  wrote  names 
and  drew  faces  with  a  razor  sea-shell  in  the  sand. 

After  leaving  the  beach,  clambered  over  crags,  all 
shattered  and  tossed  about  everyhow ;  in  some  parts 
curiously  worn  and  hollowed  out,  almost  into  caverns. 
The  rock,  shagged  with  sea-weed,  —  in  some  places,  a 
thick  carpet  of  sea-weed  laid  over  the  pebbles,  into 
which  your  foot  would  sink.  Deep  tanks  among  these 
rocks,  which  the  sea  replenishes  at  high  tide,  and  then 
leaves  the  bottom  all  covered  with  various  sorts  of  sea- 
plants,  as  if  it  were  some  sea-monster's  private  garden. 
I  saw  a  crab  in  one  of  them ;  five-fingers  too.  From 
the  edge  of  the  rocks,  you  may  look  off  into  deep,  deep 
water,  even  at  low  tide.  Among  the  rocks,  I  found  a 
great  bird,  whether  a  wild-goose,  a  loon,  or  an  alba 
tross,  I  scarcely  know.  It  was  in  such  a  position  that 
I  almost  fancied  it  might  be  asleep,  and  therefore  drew 
near  softly,  lest  it  should  take  flight ;  but  it  was  dead, 


1337.  j  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  97 

and  stirred  not  when  I  touched  it.  Sometimes  a  dead 
fish  was  cast  up.  A  ledge  of  rocks,  with  a  beacon  upon 
it,  looking  like  a  monument  erected  to  those  who  have 
perished  by  shipwreck.  The  smoked,  extempore  fire 
place,  where  a  party  cooked  their  fish.  About  midway 
on  the  beach,  a  fresh-water  brooklet  flows  towards  the 
sea.  Where  it  leaves  the  land,  it  is  quite  a  rippling 
little  current ;  but,  in  flowing  across  the  sand,  it  grows 
shallower  and  more  shallow,  and  at  last  is  quite  lost, 
and  dies  in  the  effort  to  carry  its  little  tribute  to  the 
main. 

An  article  to  be  made  of  telling  the  stories  of  the 
tiles  of  an  old-fashioned  chimney-piece  to  a  child. 

A  person  conscious  that  he  was  soon  to  die,  the 
humor  in  which  he  would  pay  his  last  visit  to  familiar 
persons  and  things. 

A  description  of  the  various  classes  of  hotels  and 
taverns,  and  the  prominent  personages  in  each.  There 
should  be  some  story  connected  with  it,  —  as  of  a  per 
son  commencing  with  boarding  at  a  great  hotel,  and 
gradually,  as  his  means  grew  less,  descending  in  life, 
till  he  got  below  ground  into  a  cellar. 

A  person  to  be  in  the  possession  of  something  as  per 
fect  as  mortal  man  has  a  right  to  demand ;  he  tries  to 
make  it  better,  and  ruins  it  entirely. 

A  person  to  spend  all  his  life  and  splendid  talents 
in  trying  to  achieve  something  naturally  impossible,  — 
as  to  make  a  conquest  over  Nature. 

VOL,    I.  5  0 


98  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837. 

Meditations  about  the  main  gas-pipe  of  a  great  city,  — 
if  the  supply  were  to  be  stopped,  what  would  happen  ? 
How  many  different  scenes  it  sheds  light  on  ?  It  might 
be  made  emblematical  of  something. 

December  6th.  —  A  fairy  tale  about  chasing  Echo  to 
her  hiding-place.  Echo  is  the  voice  of  a  reflection  in 
a  mirror. 

A  house  to  be  built  over  a  natural  spring  of  inflam 
mable  gas,  and  to  be  constantly  illuminated  therewith. 
What  moral  could  be  drawn  from  this  ?  It  is  carbu- 
retted  hydrogen  gas,  and  is  cooled  from. a  soft  shale  or 
slate,  which  is  sometimes  bituminous,  and  contains  more 
or  less  carbonate  of  lime.  It  appears  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lockporf  and  Niagara  Falls,  and  elsewhere  in  New 
York.  1  believe  it  indicates  coal.  At  Fredonia,  the 
whole  village  is  lighted  by  it.  Elsewhere,  a  farm-house 
was  lighted  by  it,  and  no  other  fuel  used  in  the  coldest 
weather. 

Gnomes,  or  other  mischievous  little  fiends,  to  be 
represented  as  burrowing  in  the  hollow  teeth  of  some 
person  who  has  subjected  himself  to  their  power.  It 
should  be  a  child's  story.  This  should  be  one  of  many 
modes  of  petty  torment.  They  should  be  contrasted 
with  beneficent  fairies,  who  minister  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  good. 

A  man  will  undergo  great  toil  and  hardship  for  ends 
that  must  be  many  years  distant,  —  as  wealth  or  fame, 
—  but  none  for  an  end  that  may  be  close  at  hand,  —  as 
the  joys  of  heaven. 


1837. J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  99 

Insincerity  in  a  man's  own  heart  must  make  all  his 
enjoyments,  all  that  concerns  him,  unreal ;  so  that  his 
whole  life  must  seem  like  a  merely  dramatic  representa 
tion.  And  this  would  be  the  case,  even  though  he  were 
surrounded  by  true-hearted  relatives  and  friends. 

A  company  of  men,  none  of  whom  have  anything 
worth  hoping  for  on  earth,  yet  who  do  not  look  forward 
to  anything  beyond  earth  ! 

Sorrow  to  be  personified,  and  its  effect  on  a  family 
represented  by  the  way  in  which  the  members  of  the 
family  regard  this  dark-clad  and  sad-browed  inmate. 

A  story  to  show  how  we  are  all  wronged  and  wiong- 
ers,  and  avenge  one  another. 

To  personify  winds  of  various  characters. 

A  man  living  a  wicked  life  in  one  place,  and  simulta 
neously  a  virtuous  and  religious  one  in  another. 

An  ornament  to  be  worn  about  the  person  of  a  lady, 
—  as  a  jewelled  heart.  After  many  years,  it  happens 
to  be  broken  or  unscrewed,  and  a  poisonous  odor  comes 
out. 

Lieutenant  F.  W of  the  navy  was  an  inveterate 

duellist  and  an  unerring  shot.     He  had  taken  offence  at 

Lieutenant  F ,  and  endeavored  to  draw  him  into  a 

duel,  following  him  to  the  Mediterranean  for  that  pur- 
oose,  and  harassing  him  intolerably.     At  last,  both  par- 


4- 


100  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1837, 

ties  being  in  Massachusetts,  F determined  to  fight, 

and   applied  to  Lieutenant  A to   be   his   second. 

A examined  into  the  merits  of  the  quarrel,  and 

came   to   the   conclusion   that   F had   not   given 

F.  W justifiable  cause  for  driving  him  to  a  duel, 

and  that  he  ought  not  to  be  shot.     He  instructed  F • 

in  the  use  of  the  pistol,  and,  before  the  meeting,  warned 
him,  by  all  means,  to  get  the  first  fire;  for  that,  if 

F.  W fired  first,  he,  F ,  was  infallibly  a  dead 

man,  as  his  antagonist  could  shoot  to  a  hair's  breadth. 

The  parties   met ;  and   F ,  firing   immediately  on 

the  word's  being   given,  shot  F.  W through   the 

heart.     F.  W ,  with  a  most  savage  expression  of 

countenance,  fired,  after  the  bullet  had  gone  through  his 
heart,  and  when  the  blood  had  entirely  left  his  face,  and 

shot  away  one  of  F 's  side-locks.     His  face  probably 

looked  as  if  he  were  already  in  the  infernal  regions ; 
but  afterwards  it  assumed  an  angelic  calmness  and 
repose. 

A  company  of  persons  to  drink  a  certain  medicinal 
preparation,  which  would  prove  a  poison,  or  the  con 
trary,  according  to  their  different  characters. 

Many  persons,  without  a  consciousness  of  so  doing,  to 
contribute  to  some  one  end ;  as  to  a  beggar's  feast,  made 
up  of  broken  victuals  from  many  tables ;  or  a  patch 
carpet,  woven  of  shreds  from  innumerable  garments. 

Some  very  famous  jewel  or  other  thing,  much  talked 
of  all  over  the  world.  Some  person  to  meet  with  it, 
and  get  possession  of  it  in  some  unexpected  manner, 
amid  homely  circumstances. 


1837.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  101 

To  poison  a  person  or  a  party  of  persons  with  the 
sacramental  wine. 

A  cloud  in  the  shape  of  an  old  woman  kneeling,  with 
arms  extended  towards  the  moon. 

On  being  transported  to  strange  scenes,  we  feel  as  if 
all  were  unreal.  This  is  but  the  perception  of  the  true 
unreality  of  earthly  things,  made  evident  by  the  want 
of  congruity  between  ourselves  and  them.  By  and  by 
we  become  mutually  adapted,  and  the  perception  is  lost. 

An  old  looking-glass.  Somebody  finds  out  the  secret 
of  making  all  the  images  that  have,  been  reflected  in  it 
pass  back  again  across  its  surface. 

Our  Indian  races  having  reared  no  monuments,  like 
the  Greeks,  Romans,  and  Egyptians,  when  they  have 
disappeared  from  the  earth  their  history  will  appear  a 
fable,  and  they  misty  phantoms. 

A  woman  to  sympathize  with  all  emotions,  but  to 
have  none  of  her  own. 

A  portrait  of  a  person  in  New  England  to  be  recog 
nized  as  of  the  same  person  represented  by  a  portrait 
in  Old  England.  Having  distinguished  himself  there, 
he  had  suddenly  vanished,  and  had  never  been  heard  of 
till  he  was  thus  discovered  to  be  identical  with  a  distin 
guished  man  in  New  England. 

Men  of  cold  passions  have  quick  eyes. 


102  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1633. 

A  \irtuous  but  giddy  girl  to  attempt  to  play  a  trick 
on  a  man.  He  sees  what  she  is  about,  and  contrives 
matters  so  that  she  throws  herself  completely  into  his 
power,  and  is  ruined,  —  all  in  jest. 

A  letter,  written  a  century  or  more  ago,  but  which 
has  never  yet  been  unsealed. 

A  partially  insane  man  to  believe  himself  the  Pro 
vincial  Governor  or  other  great  official  of  Massachu 
setts.  The  scene  might  be  the  Province  House. 

A  dreadful  secret  to  be  communicated  to  several 
people  of  various  characters,  —  grave  or  gay,  —  and 
they  all  to  become  insane,  according  to  their  characters, 
by  the  influence  of  the  secret. 

Stories  to  be  told  of  a  certain  person's  appearance  in 
public,  of  his  having  been  seen  in  various  situations, 
and  of  his  making  visits  in  private  circles  ;  but  finally, 
on  looking  for  this  person,  to  come  upon  his  old  grave 
and  mossy  tombstone. 

The  influence  of  a  peculiar  mind,  in  close  communion 
with  another,  to  drive  the  latter  to  insanity. 

To  look  at  a  beautiful  girl,  and  picture  all  the  lovers, 
m  different  situations,  whose  hearts  are  centred  upon 
her. 

May  1 1th,  1838.  —  At  Boston  last  week.  Items :  — 
A  young  man,  with  a  small  mustache,  dyed  brown, 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  103 

reddish  from  its  original  light  color.  lie  walks  with  an 
affected  gait,  his  arms  crooked  outwards,  treading  much 
on  his  toes.  His  conversation  is  about  the  theatre, 
where  he  has  a  season  ticket,  —  about  an  amateur  who 
lately  appeared  there,  and  about  actresses,  with  other 
theatrical  scandal.  —  In  the  smoking-room,  two  checker 
and  backgammon  boards  ;  the  landlord  a  great  play 
er,  seemingly  a  stupid  man,  but  with  considerable 

shrewdness  and  knowledge  of  the  world.  —  F ,  the 

comedian,  a  stout,  heavy-looking  Englishman,  of  grave  de 
portment,  with  no  signs  of  wit  or  humor,  yet  aiming  at 
both  in  conversation,  in  order  to  support  his  character. 
Very  steady  and  regular  in  his  life,  and  parsimonious 
in  his  disposition,  —  worth  $50,000,  made  by  his  pro 
fession. —  A  clergyman,  elderly,  with  a  white  Deck- 
cloth,  very  unbecoming,  an  unworldly  manner,  unac- 
quaintance  with  the  customs  of  the  house,  and  learning 
them  in  a  childlike  way.  A  ruffle  to  his  shirt,  crimped. 
—  A  gentleman,  young,  handsome,  and  sea  -  flushed, 
belonging  to  Oswego,  New  York,  but  just  arrived  in 
port  from  the  Mediterranean  :  he  inquires  of  me  about 
the  troubles  in  Canada,  which  were  first  beginning  to 
make  a  noise  when  he  left  the  country,  —  whether  they 
are  all  over.  I  tell  him  all  is  finished,  except  the  hang 
ing  of  the  prisoners.  Then  we  talk  over  the  matter, 
and  I  tell  him  the  fates  of  the  principal  men,  —  some 
banished  to  New  South  TVales,  one  hanged,  others 
in  prison,  others,  conspicuous  at  first,  now  almost  ftr- 
gotten.  —  Apartments  of  private  families  in  the  hotel, — 
what  sort  of  domesticity  there  may  be  in  them ;  eating 
in  public,  with  no  board  of  their  own.  The  gas  that 
lights  the  rest  of  the  house  lights  them  aleo,  in  the 


104  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [183S 

chandelier  from  the  ceiling.  —  A  shabby-looking  man, 
quiet,  with  spectacles,  at  first  wearing  an  old,  coarse 
brown  frock,  then  appearing  in  a  suit  of  elderly  black, 
saying  nothing  unless  spoken  to,  but  talking  intelli 
gently  when  addressed.  He  is  an  editor,  and  I  suppose 
printer,  of  a  country  paper.  Among  the  guests,  he 
holds  intercourse  with  gentlemen  of  much  more  respect 
able  appearance  than  himself,  from  the  same  part  of  the 
country.  —  Bill  of  fare  ;  wines  printed  on  the  back,  but 
nobody  calls  for  a  bottle.  Chairs  turned  down  for  ex 
pected  guests.  Three-pronged  steel  forks.  Cold  sup 
per  from  nine  to  eleven  p.  M.  Great,  round,  mahogany 
table,  in  the  sitting-room,  covered  with  papers.  In  the 
morning,  before  and  soon  after  breakfast,  gentlemen 
reading  the  morning  papers,  while  others  wait  for  their 
chance,  or  try  to  pick  out  something  from  the  papers  of 
yesterday  or  longer  ago.  In  the  forenoon,  the  South 
ern  papers  are  brought  in,  and  thrown  damp  and  folded 
on  the  table.  The  eagerness  with  which  those  who 
happen  to  be  in  the  room  start  up  and  make  prize  of 
them.  Play-bills,  printed  on  yellow  paper,  laid  upon 
the  table.  Towards  evening  comes  the  Transcript. 

June  15tk.  —  The  red  light  which  the  sunsets  at  this 
season  diffuse;  there  being  showery  afternoons,  but 
the  sun  setting  bright  amid  clouds,  and  diffusing  its 
radiance  over  those  that  are  scattered  in  masses  all 
over  the  sky.  It  gives  a  rich  tinge  to  all  objects,  even 
to  those  of  sombre  hues,  yet  without  changing  the  hues. 
The  complexions  of  people  are  exceedingly  enriched 
by  it ;  they  look  warm,  and  kindled  with  a  mild  fire. 
The  whole  scenery  and  personages  acquire,  me- 


1838. j  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  105 

thinks,  a  passionate  character.  A  love-scene  should  be 
laid  on  such  an  evening.  The  trees  and  the  grass  have 
now  the  brightest  possible  green,  there  having  been  so 
many  showers  alternating  with  such  powerful  sunshine. 
There  are  roses  and  tulips  and  honeysuckles,  with  their 
sweet  perfume ;  in  short,  the  splendor  of  a  more  gor 
geous  climate  than  ours  might  be  brought  into  the  pic 
ture. 

The  situation  of  a  man  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd,  yet 
as  completely  in  the  power  of  another,  life  and  all,  as  if 
they  two  were  in  the  deepest  solitude. 

Tremont,  Boston,  June  "LQth.  —  Tremendously  hot 
weather  to-day.  "Went  on  board  the  Cyane  to  see 
Bridge,  the  purser.  Took  boat  from  the  end  of  Long 
Wharf,  with  two  boatmen,  who  had  just  landed  a  man. 
Row  round  to  the  starboard  side  of  the  sloop,  where  we 
pass  up  the  steps,  and  are  received  by  Bridge,  who 
introduces  us  to  one  of  the  lieutenants,  —  Hazard.  Sail 
ors  and  midshipmen  scattered  about,  —  the  middies 
having  a  foul  anchor,  that  is,  an  anchor  with  a  cable 
twisted  round  it,  embroidered  on  the  collars  of  their 
jackets.  The  officers  generally  wear  blue  jackets  with 
lace  on  the  shoulders,  white  pantaloons,  and  cloth  caps. 
Introduced  into  the  cabin,  —  a  handsome  room,  fin 
ished  with  mahogany,  comprehending  the  width  of  the 
vessel ;  a  sideboard  with  liquors,  and  above  it  a  look 
ing-glass  ;  behind  the  cabin,  an  inner  room,  in  which  is 
seated  a  lady,  waiting  for  the  captain  to  come  on 
board ;  on  each  side  of  this  inner  cabin,  a  large  and 
convenient  state-room  with  bed,  —  the  doors  opening 

5* 


106  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833. 

into  the  cabin.  This  cabin  is  on  a  level  with  the  quar 
ter-dock,  and  is  covered  by  the  poop-deck.  Going 
down  below  stairs,  you  come  to  the  ward-room,  a  pretty 
large  room,  round  which  are  the  state-rooms  of  the 
lieutenants,  the  purser,  surgeon,  &c.  A  stationary 
table.  The  ship's  main-mast  conies  down  through  the 
middle  of  the  room,  and  Bridge's  chair,  at  dinner,  is 
planted  against  it.  Wine  and  brandy  produced  ;  and 
Bridge  calls  to  the  Doctor  to  drink  with  him,  who 
answers  affirmatively  from  his  state-room,  and  shortly 
after  opens  the  door  and  makes  his  appearance.  Other 
officers  emerge  from  the  side  of  the  vessel,  or  disappear 
into  it,  in  the  same  way.  Forward  of  the  ward-room, 
adjoining  it,  and  on  the  same  level,  is  the  midship 
men's  room,  on  the  larboard  side  of  the  vessel,  not 
partitioned  off,  so  as  to  be  shut  up.  On  a  shelf  a  few 
books;  one  midshipman  politely  invites  us  to  walk  in; 
another  sits  writing.  Going  farther  forward,  on  the 
same  level  we  come  to  the  crew's  department,  part  of 
which  is  occupied  by  the  cooking-establishment,  where 
all  sorts  of  cooking  is  going  on  for  the  officers  and  men. 
Through  the  whole  of  this  space,  ward-room  and  all, 
there  is  barely  room  to  stand  upright,  without  the  hat 
on.  The  rules  of  the  quarter-deck  (which  extends  aft 
from  the  main-mast)  are,  that  the  midshipmen  shall  not 
presume  to  walk  on  the  starboard  side  of  it,  nor  the 
men  to  come  upon  it  at  all,  unless  to  speak  to  an  officer. 
The  poop-deck  is  still  more  sacred,  —  the  lieutenants 
being  confined  to  the  larboard  side,  and  the  captain 
alone  having  a  right  to  the  starboard.  A  marine  was 
pacing  the  poop-deck,  being  the  only  guard  that  I  saw 
stationed  in  the  vessel,  —  the  more  stringent  regulations 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  107 

being  relaxed  while  she  is  preparing  for  sea.  While 
standing  on  the  quarter-deck,  a  great  piping  at  the 
gangway,  and  the  second  cutter  comes  alongside,  bring 
ing  the  consul  and  some  other  gentleman  to  visit  the 
vessel.  After  a  while,  we  are  rowed  ashore  with  them, 
in  the  same  boat.  Its  crew  are  new  hands,  and  there 
fore  require  much  instruction  from  the  cockswain.  We 
are  seated  under  an  awning.  The  guns  of  the  Cyane 
are  medium  thirty-two  pounders ;  some  of  them  have 
percussion  locks. 

At  the  Tremont,  I  had  Bridge  to  dine  with  me :  iced 
champagne,  claret  in  glass  pitchers.  Nothing  very 
re*  Arkable  among  the  guests.  A  wine-merchant, 
French  apparently,  though  he  had  arrived  the  day 
before  in  a  bark  from  Copenhagen :  a  somewhat  cor 
pulent  gentleman,  without  so  good  manners  as  an 
American  would  have  in  the  same  line  of  life,  but 
good-natured,  sociable,  and  civil,  complaining  of  the 
heat.  He  had  rings  on  his  fingers  of  great  weight  of 
metal,  and  one  of  them  had  a  seal  for  letters ;  brooches 
at  the  bosom,  three  in  a  row,  up  and  down  ;  also  a  gold 
watch-guard,  with  a  seal  appended.  Talks  of  the  com 
parative  price  of  living,  of  clothes,  &c.,  here  and  in 
Europe.  Tells  of  the  prices  of  wines  by  the  cask  and 
pipe.  Champagne,  he  says,  is  drunk  of  better  quality 
here  than  where  it  grows.  —  A  vendor  of  patent 
medicines,  Doctor  Jaques,  makes  acquaintance  with  me, 
and  shows  me  his  recommendatory  letters  in  favor  of 
himself  and  drugs,  signed  by  a  long  list  of  people.  He 
prefers,  he  says,  booksellers  to  druggists  as  his  agents, 
and  inquired  of  me  about  them  in  this  town.  He  seems 
to  be  an  honest  man  enough,  with  an  intelligent  face, 


108  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

and  sensible  in  his  talk,  but  not  a  gentleman,  wearing  a 
somewhat  shabby  brown  coat  and  mixed  pantaloons 
being  ill-shaven,  and  apparently  not  well  acquainted 
with  the  customs  of  a  fashionable  hotel.  A  simplicity 
about  him  that  is  likable,  though,  I  believe,  he  comes 
from  Philadelphia.  —  Naval  officers,  strolling  about 
town,  bargaining  for  swords  and  belts,  and  other  military 
articles;  with  the  tailor,  to  have  naval  buttons  put 
on  their  shore-going  coats,  and  for  their  pantaloons, 
suited  to  the  climate  of  the  Mediterranean.  It  is  the 
almost  invariable  habit  of  officers,  when  going  ashore  or 
staying  on  shore,  to  divest  themselves  of  all  military  or 
naval  insignia,  and  appear  as  private  citizens.  At  the 
Tremont,  young  gentlemen  with  long  earlocks,  —  straw 
hats,  light,  or  dark-mixed.  —  The  theatre  being  closed, 
the  play-bills  of  many  nights  ago  are  posted  up  against 
its  walls. 

July  4th.  —  A  very  hot,  bright,  sunny  day;  town 
much  thronged ;  booths  on  the  Common,  selling  ginger 
bread,  sugar-plums,  and  confectionery,  spruce  beer, 
lemonade.  Spirits  forbidden,  but  probably  sold  stealth 
ily.  On  the  top  of  one  of  the  booths  a  monkey,  with  a 
tail  two  or  three  feet  long.  He  is  fastened  by  a  cord, 
which,  getting  tangled  with  the  flag  over  the  booth,  he 
takes  hold  and  tries  to  free  it.  He  is  the  object  of 
much  attention  from  the  crowd,  and  played  with  by  the 
boys,  who  toss  up  gingerbread  to  him,  while  he  nibbles 
and  throws  it  down  again.  Pie  reciprocates  notice,  of 
some  kind  or  other,  with  all  who  notice  him.  There  is 
a  sort  of  gravity  about  him.  A  boy  pulls  his  long  tail, 
whereat  he  give^  a  slight  squeak,  and  for  the  future 


1838]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  109 

elevates  it  as  much  as  possible.  Looking  at  the  same 
booth  by  and  by,  I  find  that  the  poor  monkey  has  been 
obliged  to  betake  himself  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  wood 
en  joists  that  stick  up  high  above.  There  are  boys, 
going  about  with  molasses  candy,  almost  melted  down 
in  the  sun.  Shows :  A  mammoth  rat ;  a  collection  of 
pirates,  murderers,  and  the  like,  in  wax.  Constables  in. 
considerable  number,  parading  about  with  their  staves 
sometimes  conversing  with  each  other,  producing  ar 
effect  by  their  presence,  without  having  to  interfere 
actively.  One  or  two  old  salts,  rather  the  worse  foi 
liquor :  in  general  the  people  are  very  temperate.  At 
evening  the  effect  of  things  rather  more  picturesque  j 
some  of  the  booth-keepers  knocking  down  the  tempo 
rary  structures,  and  putting  the  materials  in  wagons  to 
carry  away;  other  booths  lighted  up,  and  the  lights 
gleaming  through  rents  in  the  sail-cloth  tops.  The  cus 
tomers  are  rather  riotous,  calling  loudly  and  whim 
sically  for  what  they  want ;  a  young  fellow  and  a 
girl  coming  arm  in  arm ;  two  girls  approaching  the 
booth,  and  getting  into  conversation  with  the  folks  there 
about.  Perchance  a  knock-down  between  two  half- 
sober  fellows  in  the  crowd:  a  knock-down  without  a 
heavy  blow,  the  receiver  being  scarcely  able  to  keep  his. 
footing  at  any  rate.  Shoutings  and  hallooings,  laughter, 
oaths,  —  generally  a  good-natured  tumult ;  and  the 
constables  use  no  severity,  but  interfere,  if  at  all,  in  a 
friendly  sort  of  way.  I  talk  with  one  about  the  way  in 
which  the  day  has  passed,  and  he  bears  testimony  to 
the  orderliness  of  the  crowd,  but  suspects  one  booth  of 
selling  liquor,  and  relates  one  scuffle.  There  is  a  talk 
ative  and  witty  seller  of  gingerbread  holding  forth  to 


110  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [J838, 

th^  people  from  his  cart,  making  himself  quite  a  noted 
character  by  his  readiness  of  remark  and  humor,  and 
disposing  of  all  his  wares.  Late  in  the  evening,  during 
the  fire-works,  people  are  consulting  how  they  are  to 
get  home,  —  many  having  long  miles  to  walk  :  a.  father, 
with  wife  and  children,  saying  it  will  be  twelve  o'clock 
before  they  reach  home,  the  children  being  already 
tired  to  death.  The  moon  beautifully  dark-bright,  not 
giving  so  white  a  light  as  sometimes.  The  girls  all 
look  beautiful  and  fairy-like  in  it,  not  exactly  distinct, 
nor  yet  dim.  The  different  characters  of  female 
countenances  during  the  day, —  mirthful  and  mischiev 
ous,  slyly  humorous,  stupid,  looking  genteel  generally, 
but  when  they  speak  often  betraying  plebeianism  by 
the  tones  of  their  voices.  Two  girls  are  very  tired,  — 
ono  a  pale,  thin,  languid-looking  creature;  the  other 
plump,  rosy,  rather  overburdened  with  her  own  little 
body.  Gingerbread  figures,  in  the  shape  of  Jim  Crow 
and  other  popularities. 

In  the  old  burial-ground,  Charter  Street,  a  slate  grave 
stone,  carved  round  the  borders,  to  the  memory  of 
"Colonel  John  Hathorne,  Esq.,"  who  died  in  1717. 
This  was  the  witch-judge.  The  stone  is  sunk  deep  in 
to  the  earth,  and  leans  forward,  and  the  grass  grows 
very  long  around  it ;  and,  on  account  of  the  moss,  it 
was  rather  difficult  to  make  out  the  date.  Other  Ha- 
thornes  lie  buried  in  a  range  with  him  on  either  side. 

In  a  corner  of  the  burial-ground,  close  under  Dr.  P 's 

garden  fence,  are  the  most  ancient  stones  remaining  in 
the  grave-yard;  moss-grown,  deeply  sunken.  One 
to  "Dr.  John  Svvinnerton,  Physician,"  in  1688;  another 


L838."]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  Ill 

to  his  wife.  There,  too,  is  the  grave  of  Nathaniel 
Mather,  the  younger  brother  of  Cotton,  and  mentioned 
in  the  Magnolia  as  a  hard  student,  and  of  great  promise. 
"  An  aged  man  at  nineteen  years,"  saith  the  grave 
stone.  It  affected  me  deeply,  when  I  had  cleared  away 
the  grass  from  the  half-buried  stone,  and  read  the  name. 
An  apple-tree  or  two  hang  over  these  old  graves,  and 
throw  down  the  blighted  fruit  on  Nathaniel  Mather's 
grave,  —  he  blighted  too.  It  gives  strange  ideas,  to 
think  how  convenient  to  Dr.  P 's  family  this  burial- 
ground  is,  —  the  monuments  standing  almost  within 
arm's  reach  of  the  side  windows  of  the  parlor,  —  and 
there  being  a  little  gate  from  the  back  yard  through 
which  we  step  forth  upon  those  old  graves  aforesaid. 
And  the  tomb  of  the  P.  family  is  right  in  front,  and  close 
to  the  gate.  It  is  now  filled,  the  last  being  the  refugee 

Tory,  Colonel  P and  his  wife.  M.  P has 

trained  flowers  over  this  tomb,  on  account  of  her  friend 
ly  relations  with  Colonel  P . 

It  is  not,  I  think,  the  most  ancient  families  that  have 
tombs,  —  their  ancestry  for  two  or  three  generations 
having  been  reposited  in  the  earth  before  such  a  luxury 
as  a  tomb  was  thought  of.  Men  who  founded  families, 
and  grew  rich,  a  century  or  so  ago,  were  probably  the 
first. 

There  is  a  tomb  of  the  Lyndes,  with  a  slab  of  slate 
affixed  to  the  brick  masonry  on  one  side,  and  carved 
with  a  coat  of  arms. 

July  Wth. —  A  fishing  excursion,  last  Saturday 
afternoon,  eight  or  ten  miles  out  in  the  harbor.  A  fine 
wind  out,  which  died  away  towards  evening,  and  finally 


112  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

became  quite  calm.  We  cooked  our  fish  on  a  rock 
named  "  Satan,"  about  forty  feet  long  and  twenty  broad, 
irregular  in  its  shape,  and  of  uneven  surface,  with  pools 
of  water  here  and  there,  left  by  the  tide,  —  dark  brown 
rock,  or  whitish ;  there  was  the  excrement  of  sea-fowl 
scattered  on  it,  and  a  few  feathers.  The  water  was 
deep  around  the  rock,  and  swelling  up  and  downward, 
waving  the  sea-weed.  We  built  two  fires,  which,  as 
the  dusk  deepened,  cast  a  red  gleam  over  the  rock  and 
the  waves,  and  made  the  sea,  on  the  side  away  from  the 
sunset,  look  dismal ;  but  by  and  by  up  came  the  moon, 
red  as  a  house  afire,  and,  as  it  rose,  it  grew  silvery 
bright,  and  threw  a  line  of  silver  across  the  calm  sea. 
Beneath  the  moon  and  the  horizon,  the  commencement 
of  its  track  of  brightness,  there  was  a  cone  of  blackness, 
or  of  very  black  blue.  It  was  after  nine  before  we 
finished  our  supper,  which  we  ate  by  firelight  and 
moonshine,  and  then  went  aboard  our  decked  boat  again, 

—  no  safe  achievement  in  our  ticklish  little  dory.     To 
those  remaining  in  the  boat,  we  had  looked  very  pic 
turesque  around  our  fires,  and  on  the  rock  above  them, 

—  our  statures  being  apparently  increased  to  the  size  of 
the  sons  of  Anak.     The  tide,  now  coming  up,  gradually 
dashed  over  the  fires  we  had  left,  and  so  the  rock  again 
became   a  desert.     The   wind  had    now  entirely  died 
away,  leaving  the  sea  smooth  as  glass,  except  a  quiet 
swell,  and  we  could  only  float  along,  as  the  tide  bore 
us,  almost  imperceptibly.     It  was  as  beautiful  a  night 
as  ever  shone,  —  calm,  warm,  bright,  the  moon  being  at 
/ull.     On  one  side  of  us  was  Marblehead  light-house, 
on  the  other,  Baker's  Island  ;  and  both,  by  the  influence 
rf  the  moonlight,  had  a  silvery  hue,  unlike  their  ruddy 


1838. J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  113 

beacon  tinge  in  dark  nights.  They  threw  long  reflections 
across  the  sea,  like  the  moon.  There  we  floated  slowly 
with  the  tide  till  about  midnight,  and  then,  the  tide 
turning,  we  fastened  our  vessel  to  a  pole,  which  marked 
a  rock,  so  as  to  prevent  being  carried  back  by  the  re 
flux.  Some  of  the  passengers  turned  in  below  ;  some 
stretched  themselves  on  deck ;  some  walked  about, 
smoking  cigars.  I  kept  the  deck  all  night.  Once  there 
was  a  little  cat's-paw  of  a  breeze,  whereupon  we  untied 
ourselves  from  the  pole  ;  but  it  almost  immediately  died 
away,  and  we  were  compelled  to  make  fast  again.  At 
about  two  o'clock,  up  rose  the  morning  star,  a  round,  red, 
fiery  ball,  very  comparable  to  the  moon  at  its  rising,  and, 
getting  upward,  it  shone  marvellously  bright,  and  threw 
its  long  reflection  into  the  sea,  like  the  moon  and  the 
two  light-houses.  It  was  Venus,  and  the  brightest  star 
I  ever  beheld ;  it  was  in  the  northeast.  The  moon 
made  but  a  very  small  circuit  in  the  sky,  though  it 
shone  all  night.  The  aurora  borealis  shot  upwards  to 
the  zenith,  and  between  two  and  three  o'clock  the  first 
streak  of  dawn  appeared,  stretching  far  along  the  edge 
of  the  eastern  horizon,  —  a  faint  streak  of  light ;  then  it 
gradually  broadened  and  deepened,  and  became  a  rich 
saffron  tint,  with  violet  above,  and  then  an  ethereal  and 
transparent  blue.  The  saffron  became  intermixed  with 
splendor,  kindling  and  kindling,  Baker's  Island  lights 
being  in  the  centre  of  the  brightness,  so  that  they  were 
extinguished  by  it,  or  at  least  grew  invisible.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  boat,  the  Marblehead  ^ight-house  still 
threw  out  its  silvery  gleam,  and  the  moon  shone  brightly 
too ;  and  its  light  looked  very  singularly,  mingling  with 
the  growing  daylight.  It  was  not  like  the  moonshine. 


114  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

brightening  as  the  evening  twilight  deepens ;  for  now  it 
threw  its  radiance  over  the  landscape,  the  green  and 
other  tints  of  which  were  displayed  by  the  daylight, 
whereas  at  evening  all  those  tints  are  obscured.  It 
looked  like  a  milder  sunshine,  —  a  dreamy  sunshine,  — 
the  sunshine  of  a  world  not  quite  so  real  and  material 
as  this.  All  night  we  had  heard  the  Marblehead  clocks 
telling  the  hour.  Anon,  up  came  the  sun,  without 
any  bustle,  but  quietly,  his  antecedent  splendors  having 
gilded  the  sea  for  some  time  before.  It  had  been  cold 
towards  morning,  but  now  grew  warm,  and  gradually 
burning  hot  in  the  sun.  A  breeze  sprang  up,  but  our 
first  use  of  it  was  to  get  aground  on  Coney  Island  about 
five  o'clock,  where  we  lay  till  nine  or  thereabout,  and 
then  floated  slowly  up  to  the  wharf.  The  roar  of 
distant  surf,  the  rolling  of  porpoises,  the  passing  of 
shoals  of  fish,  a  steamboat  smoking  along  at  a  distance, 
were  the  scene  on  my  watch.  I  fished  during  the  night, 
and,  feeling  something  on  the  line,  I  drew  up  with  great 
eagerness  and  vigor.  It  was  two  of  those  broad-leaved 
sea-weeds,  with  stems  like  snakes,  both  rooted  on  a 
stone,  —  all  which  came  up  together.  Often  these  sea 
weeds  root  themselves  on  muscles.  In  the  morning, 
our  pilot  killed  a  flounder  with  the  boat-hook,  the  poor 
fish  thinking  himself  secure  on  the  bottom. 

Ladurlad,  in  the  Curse  of  Kehama,  on  visiting  a 
certain  celestial  region,  the  fire  in  his  heart  and  brain 
died  away  for  a  season,  but  was  rekindled  again  on 
returning  to  earth.  So  may  it  be  with  me,  in  my 
projected  three  months'  seclusion  from  old  associa 
tions. 


AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  115 


Punishment  of  a  miser,  —  to  pay  the  drafts  of  his 
heir  in  his  tomb. 

July  13th.  —  A  show  of  wax-figures,  consisting  al 
most  wholly  of  murderers  and  their  victims,  —  Gibbs 
and  Hansley,  the  pirates,  and  the  Dutch  girl  whom 
Gibbs  murdered.  Gibbs  and  Hansley  were  admirably 
done,  as  natural  as  life  ;  and  many  people  who  had 
known  Gibbs  would  not,  according  to  the  showman,  be 
convinced  that  this  wax-figure  was  not  his  skin  stuffed. 
The  two  pirates  were  represented  with  halters  round 
their  necks,  just  ready  to  be  turned  off;  and  the  sheriff 
stood  behind  them,  with  his  watch,  waiting  for  the  mo 
ment.  The  clothes,  halter,  and  Gibbs's  hair  were 
authentic.  E.  K.  Avery  and  Cornell,  —  the  former  a 
figure  in  black,  leaning  on  the  back  of  a  chair,  in  the 
attitude  of  a  clergyman  about  to  pray ;  an  ugly  devil, 
said  to  be  a  good  likeness.  Ellen  Jewett  and  R.  P. 
Robinson,  she  dressed  richly,  in  extreme  fashion,  and 
very  pretty ;  he  awkward  and  stiff,  it  being  difficult  to 
stuff  a  figure  to  look  like  a  gentleman.  The  showman 
seemed  very  proud  of  Ellen  Jewett,  and  spoke  of  her 
somewhat  as  if  this  wax-figure  were  a  real  creation. 
Strong  and  Mrs.  Whipple,  who  together  murdered  the 
husband  of  the  latter.  Lastly  the  Siamese  twins.  The 
showman  is  careful  to  call  his  exhibition  the  "  Statuary." 
He  walks  to  and  fro  before  the  figures,  talking  of  the 
history  of  the  persons,  the  moral  lessons  to  be  drawn 
therefrom,  and  especially  of  the  excellence  of  the  wax 
work.  He  has  for  sale  printed  histories  of  the  person 
ages.  He  is  a  friendly,  easy-mannered  sort  of  a  half* 
genteel  character,  whose  talk  has  been  moulded  by  the 


116  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838- 

persons  who  most  frequent  such  a  show ;  an  air  of 
superiority  of  information,  a  moral  instructor,  with  a 
great  deal  of  real  knowledge  of  the  world.  He  invites 
his  departing  guests  to  call  again  and  bring  their  friends, 
desiring  to  know  whether  they  are  pleased ;  telling 
that  he  had  a  thousand  people  on  the  4th  of  July, 
and  that  they  were  all  perfectly  satisfied.  He  talks 
with  the  female  visitors,  remarking  on  Ellen  Jewett's 
person  and  dress  to  them,  he  having  "  spared  no  expense 
in  dressing  her ;  and  all  the  ladies  say  that  a  dress 
never  set  better,  and  he  thinks  he  never  knew  a  hand 
somer  female."  He  goes  to  and  fro,  snuffing  the  candles, 
and  now  and  then  holding  one  to  the  face  of  a  favorite 
figure.  Ever  and  anon,  hearing  steps  upon  the  stair 
case,  he  goes  to  admit  a  new  visitor.  The  visitors,  — 
a  half  bumpkin,  half  country-squire-like  man,  who  has 
something  of  a  knowing  air,  and  yet  looks  and  listens 
with  a  good  deal  of  simplicity  and  faith,  smiling  between 
whiles ;  a  mechanic  of  the  town ;  several  decent- 
looking  girls  and  women,  who  eye  Ellen  herself  with 
more  interest  than  the  other  figures,  —  women  having 
much  curiosity  about  such  ladies ;  a  gentlemanly  sort 
of  person,  who  looks  somewhat  ashamed  of  himself  for 
being  there,  and  glances  at  me  knowingly,  as  if  to  in 
timate  that  he  was  conscious  of  being  out  of  place  ;  a 
boy  or  two,  and  myself,  who  examine  wax  faces  and 
faces  of  flesh  with  equal  interest.  A  political  or  other 
satire  might  be  made  by  describing  a  show  of  wax-figures 
of  the  prominent  public  men  ;  and,  by  the  remarks  of  the 
showman  and  the  spectators,  their  characters  and  public 
standing  might  be  expressed.  And  the  incident  of 
Judge  Tyler  as  related  by  E might  be  introduced. 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  117 

A  series  of  strange,  mysterious,  dreadful  events  to 
occur,  wholly  destructive  of  a  person's  happiness.  He 
to  impute  them  to  various  persons  and  causes,  but 
ultimately  finds  that  he  is  himself  the  sole  agent.  Mor 
al,  that  our  welfare  depends  on  ourselves. 

The  strange  incident  in  the  court  of  Charles  IX.  of 
France:  he  and  five  other  maskers  being  attired  in 
coats  of  linen  covered  with  pitch  and  bestuck  with  flax  to 
represent  hairy  savages.  They  entered  the  hall  dan 
cing,  the  five  being  fastened  together,  and  the  king  in 
front.  By  accident  the  five  were  set  on  fire  with  a 
torch.  Two  were  burned  to  death  on  the  spot,  two 
afterwards  died ;  one  fled  to  the  buttery,  and  jumped 
into  a  vessel  of  water.  It  might  be  represented  as  the 
fate  of  a  squad  of  dissolute  men. 

A  perception,  for  a  moment,  of  one's  eventual  awd 
moral  self,  as  if  it  were  another  person,  —  the  observant 
faculty  being  separated,  and  looking  intently  at  the 
qualities  of  the  character.  There  is  a  surprise  when 
this  happens,  —  this  getting  out  of  one's  self,  —  and  then 
the  observer  sees  how  queer  a  fellow  he  is. 

July  27th.  —  Left  home  [Salem]  on  the  23d  instant. 
To  Boston  by  stage,  and  took  the  afternoon  cars  for 
Worcester.  A  little  boy  returning  from  the  city,  several 
miles,  with  a  basket  of  empty  custard-cups,  the  con 
tents  of  which  he  had  probably  sold  at  the  depot. 
Stopped  at  the  Temperance  House.  An  old  gentle 
man,  Mr.  Phillips  of  Boston,  got  into  conversation  with 
me,  and  inquired  very  freely  as  to  my  character,  tastes, 


118  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

habits,  and  circumstances,  —  a  freedom  sanctioned  by 
his  age,  his  kindly  and  beneficent  spirit,  and  the  wisdom 
of  his  advice.  It  is  strange  how  little  impertinence 
depends  on  what  is  actually  said,  but  rather  on  the 
manner  and  motives  of  saying  it.  "  I  want  to  do  you 
good,"  said  he  with  warmth,  after  becoming,  apparently, 
moved  by  my  communications.  "  Well,  sir,"  replied  I, 
"  I  wish  you  could,  for  both  our  sakes ;  for  I  have  no 
doubt  it  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  you."  He 
asked  the  most  direct  questions  of  another  young  man  ? 
for  instance,  "  Are  you  married  ? "  having  before  as 
certained  that  point  with  regard  to  myself.  He  told 
me  by  all  means  to  act,  in  whatever  way ;  observing 
that  he  himself  would  have  no  objection  to  be  a  servant, 
if  no  other  mode  of  action  presented  itself. 

The  landlord  of  the  tavern,  a  decent,  active,  grave, 
attentive  personage,  giving  me  several  cards  of  his 
house  to  distribute  on  my  departure.  A  judge,  a 
stout,  hearty  country  squire,  looking  elderly ;  a  hale  and 
rugged  man,  in  a  black  coat,  and  thin,  light  pantaloons. 

Started  for  Northampton  at  half  past  nine  in  the 
morning.  A  respectable  sort  of  man  and  his  son  on 
their  way  to  Niagara,  —  grocers,  I  believe,  and  calcu 
lating  how  to  perform  the  tour,  subtracting  as  few  days 
as  possible  from  the  shop.  Somewhat  inexperienced 
travellers,  and  comparing  everything  advantageously 
or  otherwise  with  Boston  customs;  and  considering 
themselves  a  long  way  from  home,  while  yet  short  of  a 
hundred  miles  from  it.  Two  ladies,  rather  good-look 
ing.  I  rode  outside  nearly  all  day,  and  was  very 
sociable  with  the  driver  and  another  outside  passenger. 
Towards  night,  took  up  an  essence-vendor  for  a  short 


Ife38."]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  119 

distance.  He  was  returning  home,  after  having  beeu 
out  on  a  tour  two  or  three  weeks,  and  nearly  exhausted 
his  stock.  He  was  not  exclusively  an  essence-pedler, 
having  a  large  tin  box,  which  had  been  filled  with  dry 
jjoods,  combs,  jewelry,  &c.,  now  mostly  sold  out.  His 
essences  were  of  anise-seed,  cloves,  red-cedar,  worm 
wood,  together  with  opodeldoc,  and  an  oil  for  the  hair. 
These  matters  are  concocted  at  Ashfield,  and  the  ped- 
lers  are  sent  about  with  vast  quantities.  Cologne-water 
is  among  the  essences  manufactured,  though  the  bottles 
have  foreign  labels  on  them.  The  pedler  was  good- 
natured  and  communicative,  and  spoke  very  frankly 
about  his  trade,  which  he  seemed  to  like  better  than 
farming,  though  his  experience  of  it  is  yet  brief.  He 
spoke  of  the  trials  of  temper  to  which  pedlers  are  sub 
jected,  but  said  that  it  was  necessary  to  be  forbearing, 
because  the  same  road  must  be  travelled  again  and 
again.  The  pedlers  find  satisfaction  for  all  contumelies 
in  making  good  bargains  out  of  their  customers.  This 
man  was  a  pedler  in  quite  a  small  way,  making  but  a 
narrow  circuit,  and  carrying  no  more  than  an  open 
basket  full  of  essences ;  but  some  go  out  with  wagon- 
loads.  He  himself  contemplated  a  trip  westward,  in 
which  case  he  would  send  on  quantities  of  his  wares 
ahead  to  different  stations.  He  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
intercourse  and  seeing  of  the  world.  He  pointed  out 
a  rough  place  in  the  road,  where  his  stock  of  essences 
had  formerly  been  broken  by  a  jolt  of  the  stage.  Wlm/ 
a  waste  of  sweet  smells  on  the  desert  air !  The  essence 
labels  stated  the  efficacy  of  the  stuffs  for  various  com 
plaints  of  children  and  grown  people.  The  driver  was 
an  acquaintance  of  the  pedler,  and  so  gave  him  hig 


120  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

drive  for  nothing,  though  the  pedler  pretended  to  wish 
to  force  some  silver  into  his  hand ;  and  afterwards 
lie  got  down  to  water  the  horses,  while  the  driver 
was  busied  with  other  matters.  This  driver  was  a 
little,  dark  ragamuffin,  apparently  of  irascible  temper, 
speaking  with  great  disapprobation  of  his  way-bill  not 
being  timed  accurately,  but  so  as  to  make  it  appear  as 
if  he  were  longer  upon  the  road  than  he  was.  As  he 
spoke,  the  blood  darkened  in  his  cheek,  and  his  eye 
looked  ominous  and  angry,  as  if  he  were  enraged  with 
the  person  to  whom  he  was  speaking ;  yet  he  had  not 
real  grit,  for  he  had  never  said  a  word  of  his  grievances 
to  those  concerned.  "  I  mean  to  tell  them  of  it  by  and 
by.  I  won't  bear  it  more  than  three  or  four  times 
more,"  said  he. 

Left  Northampton  the  next  morning,  between  one 
and  two  o'clock.  Three  other  passengers,  whose  faces 
were  not  visible  for  some  hours ;  so  we  went  on  through 
unknown  space,  saying  nothing,  glancing  forth  some 
times  to  see  the  gleam  of  the  lanterns  on  wayside  ob 
jects. 

How  very  desolate  looks  a  forest  when  seen  in  this 
way, —  as  if,  should  you  venture  one  step  within  its 
wild,  tangled,  many-stemmed,  and  dark-shadowed  verge, 
you  would  inevitably  be  lost  forever  Sometimes  we 
passed  a  house,  or  rumbled  through  a  village,  stopping 
perhaps  to  arouse  some  drowsy  postmaster,  who  appeared 
at  the  door  in  shirt  and  pantaloons,  yawning,  received 
the  mail,  returned  it  again,  and  was  yawning  when  last 
seen.  A  few  words  exchanged  among  the  passengers, 
as  they  roused  themselves  from  their  half-slumbers,  or 
dreamy,  slumber-like  abstraction.  Meantime  dawn 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE -BOOKS.  121 

broke,  our  faces  became  partially  visible,  the  morning 
air  grew  colder,  and  finally  cloudy  day  came  on.  We 
found  ourselves  driving  through  quite  a  romantic 
country,  with  hills  or  mountains  on  all  sides,  a  stream 
on  one  side,  bordered  by  a  high,  precipitous  bank,  up 
which  would  have  grown  pines,  only  that,  losing  their 
footholds,  many  of  them  had  slipped  downward.  The 
road  was  not  the  safest  in  the  world;  for  often  the 
carriage  approached  within  two  or  three  feet  of  a  preci 
pice  ;  but  the  driver,  a  merry  fellow,  lolled  on  his  box, 
with  his  feet  protruding  horizontally,  and  rattled  on  at 
the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  Breakfast  between  four 
and  five,  — newly  caught  trout,  salmon,  ham,  boiled 
eggs,  and  other  niceties,  —  truly  excellent.  A  bunch  of 
pickerel,  intended  for  a  tavern-keeper  farther  on,  was 
carried  by  the  stage-driver.  The  drivers  carry  a  "  time- 
watch  "  enclosed  in  a  small  wooden  case,  with  a  lock,  so 
that  it  may  be  known  in  what  time  they  perform  their 
stages.  They  are  allowed  so  many  hours  and  minutes  to 
do  their  work,  and  their  desire  to  go  as  fast  as  possible, 
combined  with  that  of  keeping  their  horses  in  good 
order,  produces  about  a  right  medium. 

One  of  the  passengers  was  a  young  man  who  had 
been  in  Pennsylvania,  keeping  a  school,  —  a  genteeJ 
enough  young  man,  but  not  a  gentleman.  He  took 
neither  supper  nor  breakfast,  excusing  himself  from 
one  as  being  weary  with  riding  all  day,  and  from  the 
other  because  it  was  so  early.  He  attacked  me  for  a 
subscription  for  "building  up  a  destitute  church,"  of 
which  he  had  taken  an  agency,  and  had  collected  two 
or  three  hundred  dollars,  but  wanted  as  many  thou 
sands.  Betimes  in  the  morning,  on  the  descent  of  a 

voi,  i.  6 


122  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [  1838 

mountain,  we  arrived  at  a  house  where  dwelt  the  mar 
ried  sister  of  the  young  man,  whom  he  was  going  to 
visit. 

He  alighted,  saw  his  trunk  taken  off,  and  then,  hav 
ing  perceived  his  sister  at  the  door,  and  turning  to  bid 
us  farewell,  there  was  a  broad  smile,  even  a  laugh 
of  pleasure,  which  did  him  more  credit  with  me  than 
anything  else ;  for  hitherto  there  had  been  a  disagree 
able  scornful  twist  upon  his  face,  perhaps,  however, 
merely  superficial.  I  saw,  as  the  stage  drove  off,  his 
comely  sister  approaching  with  a  lighted-up  face  to 
greet  him,  and  one  passenger  on  the  front  seat  beheld 
them  meet.  "  Is  it  an  affectionate  greeting  ?  "  inquired 
I.  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  should  like  to  share  it " ;  whereby 
I  concluded  that  there  was  a  kiss  exchanged. 

The  highest  point  of  our  journey  was  at  Windsor, 
where  we  could  see  leagues  around,  over  the  mountain, 
a  terribly  bare,  bleak  spot,  fit  for  nothing  but  sheep, 
and  without  shelter  of  woods.  We  rattled  downward 
into  a  warmer  region,  beholding  as  we  went  the  sun 
shining  on  portions  of  the  landscape,  miles  ahead  of  us, 
while  we  were  yet  in  chillness  and  gloom.  It  is  prob 
able  that  during  a  part  of  the  stage  the  mists  around 
us  looked  like  sky  clouds  to  those  in  the  lower  regions. 
Think  of  driving  a  stage-coach  through  the  clouds ! 
Seasonably  in  the  forenoon  we  arrived  at  Pittsfield. 

Pittsfield  is  a  large  village,  quite  shut  in  by  moun 
tain  walls,  generally  extending  like  a  rampart  on  all 
eides  of  it,  but  with  insulated  great  hiHs  rising  here 
and  there  in  the  outline.  The  area  of  the  town  is  level ; 
its  houses  are  handsome,  mostly  wooden  and  white  ; 
but  some  are  of  brick,  painted  deep  red,  the  bricka 


IS'JS.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  123 

being  not  of  a  healthy,  natural  color.  There  are  hand 
some  churches,  Gothic  and  others,  and  a  court-house 
and  an  academy ;  the  court-house  having  a  marble  front. 
There  is  a  small  mall  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  in 
the  centre  of  the  mall  rises  an  elm  of  the  loftiest  and 
straightest  stem  that  ever  I  beheld,  without  a  branch  or 
leaf  upon  it  till  it  has  soared  seventy  or  perhaps  a 
hundred  feet  into  the  air.  The  top  branches  unfortu 
nately  have  been  shattered  somehow  or  other,  so  that 
it  does  not  cast  a  broad  shade;  probably  they  were 
broken  by  their  own  ponderous  foliage.  The  central 
square  of  Pittsfield  presents  all  the  bustle  of  a  thriving 
village,  —  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity  in  light  wagons, 
sulkies,  or  on  horseback  ;  stages  at  the  door  of  the 
Berkshire  Hotel,  under  the  stoop  of  which  sit  or  lounge 
the  guests,  stage-people,  and  idlers,  observing  or  assist 
ing  in  the  arrivals  and  departures.  Huge  trunks  and 
bandboxes  unladed  and  laded.  The  courtesy  shown  to 
ladies  in  aiding  them  to  alight,  in  a  shower,  under 
umbrellas.  The  dull  looks  of  passengers,  who  have 
driven  all  night,  scarcely  brightened  by  the  excitement 
of  arriving  at  a  new  place.  The  stage  agent  demand 
ing  the  names  of  those  who  are  going  on,  —  some  to 
Lebanon  Springs,  some  to  Albany.  The  toddy-stick  is 
still  busy  at  these  Berkshire  public-houses.  At  din 
ner  soup  preliminary,  in  city  style.  Guests :  the  court 
people ;  Briggs,  member  of  Congress,  attending  a  trial 
here;  horse-dealers,  country  squires,  store-keepers  in 
the  village,  &c.  My  room,  a  narrow  crib  overlooking  a 
back  court-yard,  where  a  young  man  and  a  lad  were 
drawing  water  for  the  maid-servants,  —  their  jokes, 
especially  those  of  the  Iad5  of  whose  wit  the  elder  fel- 


124  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

low,  being  a  blockhead  himself,  was  in  great  admiration, 
and  declared  to  another  that  he  knew  as  much  as  them 
both.  Yet  he  was  not  very  witty.  Once  in  a  while 
the  maid-servants  would  come  to  the  door,  and  hear 
and  respond  to  their  jokes,  with  a  kind  of  restraint,  yet 
both  permitting  and  enjoying  them. 

After  or  about  sunset  there  was  a  heavy  shower,  the 
thunder  rumbling  round  and  round  the  mountain  wall, 
and  the  clouds  stretching  from  rampart  to  rampart. 
When  it  abated,  the  clouds  in  all  parts  of  the  visible 
heavens  were  tinged  with  glory  from  the  west ;  some 
that  hung  low  being  purple  and  gold,  while  the  higher 
ones  were  gray.  The  slender  curve  of  the  new  moon 
was  also  visible  brightening  amidst  the  fading  bright 
ness  of  the  sunny  part  of  the  sky.  There  are  marble 
quarries  in  and  near  Pittsfield,  which  accounts  for  the 
fact  that  there  are  none  but  marble  grave-stones  in  the 
burial-grounds ;  some  of  the  monuments  well  carved ; 
but  the  marble  does  not  withstand  the  wear  and  tear  of 
time  and  weather  so  well  as  the  imported  marble,  and 
the  sculpture  soon  loses  its  sharp  outline.  The  door  of 
one  tomb,  a  wooden  door,  opening  in  the  side  of  a  green 
mound,  surmounted  by  a  marble  obelisk,  having  been 
shaken  from  its  hinges  by  the  late  explosion  of  the 
powder-house,  and  incompletely  repaired,  I  peeped  in 
at  the  crevices,  and  saw  the  coffins.  It  was  the  tomb 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Allen,  first  minister  of  Pittsfield, 
deceased  in  1810.  It  contained  three  coffins,  all  with 
white  mould  on  their  tops :  one,  a  small  child's,  rested 
upon  another,  and  the  other  was  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  tomb,  and  the  lid  was  considerably  displaced ;  but, 
the  tomb  being  dark,  I  could  see  neither  corpse  nor 
ekeleton. 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  125 

Marble  also  occurs  here  in  North  Adams,  and  thus 
some  very  ordinary  houses  have  marble  doorsteps,  and 
even  the  stone  walls  are  built  of  fragments  of  marble. 

Wednesday,  2Qth.  —  Left  Pittsfield  at  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  Bennington  stage,  intending  to  go  to 
Williamstown.  Inside  passengers,  —  a  new  married 
couple  taking  a  jaunt.  The  lady,  with  a  clear,  pale 
complexion,  and  a  rather  pensive  cast  of  countenance, 
slender,  and  with  a  genteel  figure  ;  the  bridegroom,  a 
shopkeeper  in  New  York  probably,  a  young  man  with 
a  stout  black  beard,  black  eyebrows,  which  formed  one 
line  across  his  forehead.  They  were  very  loving  ;  and 
while  the  stage  stopped,  I  watched  them,  quite  en 
tranced  in  each  other,  both  leaning  sideways  against  the 
back  of  the  coach,  and  perusing  their  mutual  comeli 
ness,  and  apparently  making  complimentary  observa 
tions  upon  it  to  one  another.  The  bride  appeared  the 
most  absorbed  and  devoted,  referring  her  whole  being 
to  him.  The  gentleman  seemed  in  a  most  paradisiacal 
mood,  smiling  ineffably  upon  his  bride,  and,  when  she 
spoke,  responding  to  her  with  a  benign  expression  of  mat 
rimonial  sweetness,  and,  as  it  were,  compassion  for  the 
"  weaker  vessel,"  mingled  with  great  love  and  pleasant 
humor.  It  was  very  droll.  The  driver  peeped  into 
the  coach  once,  and  said  that  he  had  his  arm  round  her 
waist.  He  took  little  freedoms  with  her,  tapping  her 
with  his  cane,  —  love-pats;  and  she  seemed  to  see  noth 
ing  amiss.  They  kept  eating  gingerbread  all  along  the 
road,  and  dined  heartily  notwithstanding. 

Our  driver  was  a  slender,  lathe-like,  round-backed, 
rough-bearded  thin-visaged,  middle-aged  Yankee,  who 


126  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  JJ838. 

became  very  communicative  during  our  drive.  He  was 
not  bred  a  stage-driver,  but  had  undertaken  the  busi 
ness  temporarily,  as  a  favor  to  his  brother-in-law.  He 
was  a  native  of  these  Berkshire  mountains,  but  had  for 
merly  emigrated  to  Ohio,  and  had  returned  for  a  time 
to  try  the  benefit  of  her  native  air  on  his  wife's  declin 
ing  health,  —  she  having  complaints  of  a  consumptive 
nature.  He  pointed  out  the  house  where  he  was 
married  to  her,  and  told  the  name  of  the  country  squire 
who  tied  the  knot.  His  wife  has  little  or  no  chance  of 
recovery,  and  he  said  he  would  never  marry  again,  — 
this  resolution  being  expressed  in  answer  to  a  remark 
of  mine  relative  to  a  second  marriage.  He  has  no 
children.  I  pointed  to  a  hill  at  some  distance  before 
us,  and  asked  what  it  was.  "  That,  sir,"  said  he,  "  is  a 
very  high  hill.  It  is  known  by  the  name  of  Graylock." 
He  seemed  to  feel  that  this  was  a  more  poetical  epithet 
than  Saddleback,  which  is  a  more  usual  name  for  it. 
Graylock,  or  Saddleback,  is  quite  a  respectable  moun 
tain  ;  and  I  suppose  the  former  name  has  been  given  to 
it  because  it  often  has  a  gray  cloud,  or  lock  of  gray  mist, 
upon  its  head.  It  does  not  ascend  into  a  peak,  but 
heaves  up  a  round  ball,  and  has  supporting  ridges  on 
each  side.  Its  summit  is  not  bare,  like  that  of  Mount 
Washington,  but  covered  with  forests.  The  driver 
said,  that  several  years  since  the  students  of  Williams 
College  erected  a  building  for  an  observatory  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  and  employed  him  to  haul  the 
materials  for  constructing  it ;  and  he  was  the  only  man 
who  had  driven  an  ox-team  up  Graylock.  It  was 
necessary  to  drive  the  team  round  and  round,  in  ascend 
ing.  President  Griffin  rode  up  on  horseback. 


1838.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  127 

Along  our  road  we  passed  villages,  and  often  facto 
ries,  the  machinery  whirring,  and  girls  looking  out  of  the 
windows  at  the  stage,  with  heads  averted  from  their 
tasks,  but  still  busy.  These  factories  have  two,  three, 
or  more  boarding-houses  near  them,  two  stories  high, 
and  of  double  length,  —  often  with  bean-vines  running 
up  round  the  doors,  and  with  altogether  a  domestic 
look.  There  are  several  factories  in  different  parts  of 
North  Adams,  along  the  banks  of  a  stream,  —  a  wild, 
highland  rivulet,  which,  however,  does  vast  work  of  a 
civilized  nature.  It  is  strange  to  see  such  a  rough  and 
untamed  stream  as  it  looks  to  be  so  subdued  to  the  pur 
poses  of  man,  and  making  cottons  and  woollens,  sawing 
boards  and  marbles,  and  giving  employment  to  so  many 
men  and  girls.  And  there  is  a  sort  of  picturesqueness 
in  finding  these  factories,  supremely  artificial  establish 
ments,  in  the  midst  of  such  wild  scenery.  For  now  the 
stream  will  be  flowing  through  a  rude  forest,  with  the 
trees  erect  and  dark,  as  when  the  Indians  fished  there ; 
and  it  brawls  and  tumbles  and  eddies  over  its  rock- 
strewn  current.  Perhaps  there  is  a  precipice,  hundreds 
of  feet  high,  beside  it,  down  which,  by  heavy  rains  or 
the  melting  of  snows,  great  pine-trees  have  slid  or 
fallen  headlong,  and  lie  at  the  bottom,  or  half-way 
down,  while  their  brethren  seem  to  be  gazing  at  their 
fall  from  the  summit,  and  anticipating  a  like  fate.  And 
then,  taking  a  turn  in  the  road,  behold  these  factories 
and  their  range  of  boarding-houses,  with  the  girls  look 
ing  out  of  the  windows  as  aforesaid !  And  perhaps  the 
wild  scenery  is  all  around  the  very  site  of  the  factory, 
and  mingles  its  impression  strangely  with  those  opposite 
ones.  These  observations  were  made  during  a  walk 
yesterday. 


128  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

I  bathed  in  a  pool  of  the  stream  that  was  out  of  sight, 
and  where  its  brawling  waters  were  deep  enough  to 
cover  me,  when  I  lay  at  length.  A  part  of  the  road 
along  which  I  walked  was  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice, 
falling  down  straight  towards  the  stream  ;  and  in  one 
place  the  passage  of  heavy  loads  had  sunk  it,  so  that 
soon,  probably,  there  will  be  an  avalanche,  perhaps 
carrying  a  stage-coach  or  heavy  wagon  down  into  the 
bed  of  the  river. 

I  met  occasional  wayfarers ;  once  two  women  in  a 
cart,  —  decent,  brown-visaged,  country  matrons,  —  and 
then  an  apparent  doctor,  of  whom  there  are  seven  or 
thereabouts  in  North  Adams ;  for  though  this  vicinity 
is  very  healthy,  yet  the  physicians  are  obliged  to  ride 
considerable  distances  among  the  mountain  towns,  and 
their  practice  is  very  laborious.  A  nod  is  always  ex 
changed  between  strangers  meeting  on  the  road.  This 
morning  an  underwitted  old  man  met  me  on  a  walk, 
and  held  a  pretty  long  conversation,  insisting  upon 
shaking  hands  (to  which  I  was  averse,  lest  his  hand 
should  not  be  clean),  and  insisting  on  his  right  to  do  so, 
as  being  "  a  friend  of  mankind."  He  was  a  gray,  bald 
headed,  wrinkled-visaged  figure,  decently  dressed,  with 
cowhide  shoes,  a  coat  on  one  arm,  and  an  umbrella  on 
the  other,  and  said  that  he  was  going  to  see  a  widow 
in  the  neighborhood.  Finding  that  I  was  not  provided 
with  a  wife,  he  recommended  a  certain  maiden  of  forty 
years,  who  had  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  spoke 
of  his  children,  who  are  proprietors  of  a  circus  estab 
lishment,  and  have  taken  a  granddaughter  to  bring  up 
in  their  way  of  life ;  and  he  gave  me  a  message  to  tell 
them  in  case  we  should  meet.  While  this  old  man  ** 


I838."|  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  129 

wandering  among  the  bills,  his  children  are  the  gaze  of 
multitudes.  He  told  me  the  place  where  he  was  born, 
directing  me  to  it  by  pointing  to  a  wreath  of  mist  which 
lay  on  the  side  of  a  mountain  ridge,  which  he  termed 
"  the  smoke  yonder."  Speaking  of  the  widow,  he  said : 
"  My  wife  has  been  dead  these  seven  years,  and  why 
should  not  I  enjoy  myself  a  little  ?  "  His  manner  was 
full  of  quirks  and  quibs  and  eccentricities,  waving  his 
umbrella  and  gesticulating  strangely,  with  a  great  deal 
of  action.  I  suppose,  to  help  his  natural  foolishness,  he 
had  been  drinking.  We  parted,  he  exhorting  me  not 
to  forget  his  message  to  his  sons,  and  1  shouting  after 
him  a  request  to  be  remembered  to  the  widow.  Con 
ceive  something  tragical  to  be  talked  about,  and  much 
might  be  made  of  this  interview  in  a  wild  road  among 
the  hills,  with  Graylock,  at  a  great  distance,  looking 
sombre  and  angry,  by  reason  of  the  gray,  heavy  mist 
upon  his  head.  % 

The  morning  was  cloudy,  and  all  the  near  landscape 
lay  unsunned  ;  but  there  was  sunshine  on  distant  tract?, 
in  the  valleys,  and  in  specks  upon  the  mountain-tops. 
Between  the  ridges  of  hills,  there  are  long,  wide,  deep 
valleys,  extending  for  miles  and  miles,  with  houses 
scattered  along  them.  A  bulky  company  of  mountains, 
swelling  round  head  over  round  head,  rises  insulated  by 
such  broad  vales  from  the  surrounding  ridges. 

I  ought  to  have  mentioned  that  I  arrived  at  North 
Adams  in  the  forenoon  of  the  26th,  and,  liking  the 
aspect  of  matters  indifferently  well,  determined  to  make 
my  head-quarters  here  for  a  short  time. 

On  the  road  to  Northampton,  we   passed   a  tame 
crow,  which  was  sitting  on  the  peak  of  a  barn.     The 
6*  T 


130  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

crow  flew  down  from  its  perch,  and  followed  us  a  great 
distance,  hopping  along  the  road,  and  flying,  with  its 
large,  black,  flapping  wings,  from  post  to  post  of  the  fence, 
or  from  tree  to  tree.  At  last  he  gavre  up  the  pursuit  with 
a  croak  of  disappointment.  The  driver  said,  perhaps 
correctly,  that  the  crow  had  scented  some  salmon  which 
was  in  a  basket  under  the  seat,  and  that  this  was  the 
secret  of  his  pursuing  us.  This  would  be  a  terrific 
incident  if  it  were  a  dead  body  that  the  crow  scented, 
instead  of  a  basket  of  salmon.  Suppose,  for  instance, 
in  a  coach  travelling  along,  that  one  of  the  passengers 
suddenly  should  die,  and  that  one  of  the  indications  of 
his  death  would  be  this  deportment  of  the  crow. 

July  29^.  —  Remarkable  characters  :  A  disagree 
able  figure,  waning  from  middle  age,  clad  in  a  pair  of 
tow  homespun  pantaloons,  and  a  very  soiled  shirt,  bare 
foot,  and  with  one  of  his  f<*et  maimed  by  an  axe  ;  also  an 
arm  amputated  two  or  three  inches  below  the  elbow. 
His  beard  of  a  week's  growth,  grim  and  grisly,  with  a 
general  effect  of  black  ;  altogether  a  disgusting  object. 
Yet  he  has  the  signs  of  having  been  a  handsome  man 
in  his  idea,  though  now  such  a  beastly  figure  that 
probably  no  living  thing  but  his  great  dog  would  touch 
him  without  an  effort.  Coming  to  the  stoop,  where 
beveral  persons  were  sitting,  "  Good  morning,  gentle 
men,"  said  the  wretch.  Nobody  answered  for  a  time, 
till  at  last  one  said,  "  I  don't  know  whom  you  speak  to  : 
not  to  me,  I  'm  sure  "  (meaning  that  he  did  not  claim  to 
be  a  gentleman).  "  Why,  I  thought  I  spoke  to  you  all 
at  once,"  replied  the  figure,  laughing.  So  he  sat  him 
self  down  on  the  lower  step  of  the  stoop,  and  began  to 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  181 

talk  ;  and,  the  conversation  being  turned  upon  his  bare 
feet  by  one  of  the  company,  he  related  the  story  of  his 
losing  his  toes  by  the  glancing  aside  of  an  axe,  and  with 
what  great  fortitude  he  bore  it.  Then  he  made  a  tran 
sition  to  the  loss  of  his  arm,  and,  setting  his  teeth  and 
drawing  in  his  breath,  said  that  the  pain  was  dreadful ; 
but  this,  too,  he  seems  to  have  borne  like  an  Indian  ;  and 
a  person  testified  to  his  fortitude  by  saying  that  he 
did  not  suppose  there  was  any  feeling  in  him,  from, 
observing  how  he  bore  it.  The  man  spoke  of  the  pain 
of  cutting  the  muscles,  and  the  particular  agony  at  one 
moment,  while  the  bone  was  being  sawed  asunder  ;  and 
there  was  a  strange  expression  of  remembered  anguish, 
as  he  shrugged  his  half-limb,  and  described  the  matter. 
Afterwards,  in  a  reply  to  a  question  of  mine,  whether  he 
still  seemed  to  feel  the  hand  that  had  been  amputated,  he 
answered  that  he  did  always  ;  and,  baring  the  stump, 
he  moved  the  severed  muscles,  saying,  "  There  is  the 
thumb,  there  the  forefinger,"  and  so  on.  Then  he  talked 
to  me  about  phrenology,  of  which  he  seems  a  firm  be 
liever  and  skilful  practitioner,  telling  how  he  had  hit 
upon  the  true  character  of  many  people.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  sense  and  acuteness  in  his  talk,  and  some 
thing  of  elevation  in  his  expressions,  —  perhaps  a 
studied  elevation,  —  and  a  sort  of  courtesy  in  his  manner ; 
but  his  sense  had  something  out  of  the  way  in  it ;  thero 
was  something  wild  and  ruined  and  desperate  in  his 
talk,  though  I  can  hardly  say  what  it  was.  There  was 
a  trace  of  the  gentleman  and  man  of  intellect  through 
his  deep  degradation  ;  and  a  pleasure  in  intellectual 
pursuits,  and  an  acuteness  and  trained  judgment,  which 
bespoke  a  mind  once  strong  and  cultivated.  "  My  study 


132  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1818. 

is  man,"  suid  lie.  And  looking  at  me,  "  I  do  not  kno\l 
your  name,"  he  said,  "but  there  is  something  of  the 
hawk-eye  about  you,  too." 

This  man  was  formerly  a  lawyer  in  good  practice ;  but, 
taking  to  drinking,  was  reduced  to  the  lowest  state.  Yet 
not  the  lowest ;  for  after  the  amputation  of  his  arm, 
being  advised  by  divers  persons  to  throw  himself  upon  the 
public  for  support,  he  told  them  that,  even  if  he  should 
lose  his  other  arm,  he  would  still  be  able  to  support 
himself  and  a  servant.  Certainly  he  is  a  strong-minded 
and  iron-constitutioned  man  ;  but,  looking  at  the  stump 
of  his  arm,  he  said  that  the  pain  of  the  mind  was  a 
thousand  times  greater  than  the  pain  of  the  body. 
"  That  hand  could  make  the  pen  go  fast,"  said  he. 
Among  people  in  general,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
greater  consideration  in  his  ruin  because  of  his  former 
standing  in  society.  He  supports  himself  by  making 
soap ;  and,  on  account  of  the  offals  used  in  that  business, 
there  is  probably  rather  an  evil  odor  in  his  domicile. 
Talking  about  a  dead  horse  near  his  house,  he  said  that 
he  could  not  bear  the  scent  of  it.  "  I  should  not  thiiit 
you  could  smell  carrion  in  that  house,"  said  a  stage- 
agent.  Whereupon  the  soap-maker  dropped  his  head, 
•with  a  little  snort,  as  it  were,  of  wounded  feeling ;  but 
immediately  said  that  he  took  all  in  good  part.  There 
was  an  old  squire  of  the  village,  a  lawyer,  probably, 
whose  demeanor  was  different,  —  with  a  distance,  yet 
with  a  kindliness ;  for  he  remembered  the  times  when 
they  met  on  equal  terms.  "  You  and  I,"  said  the 
squire,  alluding  to  their  respective  troubles  and  sick 
nesses,  "  would  have  died  long  ago,  if  we  had  not  had 
tho  courage  to  live."  The  poor  devil  kept  talking  to 


'&JS.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  133 

me,  long  after  everybody  else  had  left  the  stoop,  giving 
vent  to  much  practical  philosophy,  and  just  observation 
Dn  the  ways  of  men,  mingled  with  rather  more  assump 
tion  of  literature  and  cultivation  than  belonged  to  the 
present  condition  of  his  mind.  Meantime  his  great 
clog,  a  cleanly-looking  and  not  ill-bred  dog,  being  the 
only  decent  attribute  appertaining  to  his  master,  —  a 
well-natured  dog,  too,  and  receiving  civilly  any  demon 
stration  of  courtesy  from  other  people,  though  preserv 
ing  a  certain  distance  of  deportment,  —  this  great  dog 
grew  weary  of  his  master's  lengthy  talk,  and  expressed 
his  impatience  to  be  gone  by  thrusting  himself  between 
his  legs,  rolling  over  on  his  back,  seizing  his  ragged 
trousers,  or  playfully  taking  his  maimed,  bare  foot  into 
his  mouth,  —  using,  in  short,  the  kindly  and  humorous 
freedom  of  a  friend,  with  a  wretch  to  whom  all  are  free 
enough,  but  none  other  kind.  His  master  rebuked 
him,  but  with  kindness  too,  and  not  so  that  the  dog  felt 
himself  bound  to  desist,  though  he  seemed  willing  to 
allow  his  master  all  the  time  that  could  possibly  be 
spared.  And  at  last,  having  said  many  times  that  he 
must  go  and  shave  and  dress  himself,  —  and  as  his  beard 
had  been  at  least  a  week  growing,  it  might  have  seemed 
almost  a  week's  work  to  get  rid  of  it,  —  he  rose  from 
the  stoop  and  went  his  way, —  a  forlorn  and  miserable 
thing  in  the  light  of  the  cheerful  summer  morning.  Yet 
he  seems  to  keep  his  spirits  up,  and  still  preserves  him 
self  a  man  among  men,  asking  nothing  from  them  ; 
nor  is  it  clearly  perceptible  what  right  they  have  to 
scorn  him,  though  he  seems  to  acquiesce,  in  a  manner, 
In  their  doing  so.  And  yet  he  cannot  wholly  have  lost 
his  self-respect ;  and  doubtless  there  were  persons  on 
the  stoop  more  grovelling  than  himself. 


134  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

Another  character :  —  A  blacksmith  of  fifty  or  up 
wards,  a  corpulent  figure,  big  in  the  paunch  and  enor 
mous  in  the  rear ;  yet  there  is  such  an  appearance  of 
strength  and  robustness  in  his  frame,  that  his  corpulence 
appears  very  proper  and  necessary  to  him.  A  pound 
of  flesh  could  not  be  spared  from  his  abundance,  any 
more  than  from  the  leanest  man  ;  and  he  walks  about 
briskly,  without  any  panting  or  symptom  of  labor  or 
pain  in  his  motion.  He  has  a  round,  jolly  face,  always 
mirthful  and  humorous  and  shrewd,  and  the  air  of  a 
man  well  to  do,  and  well  respected,  yet  not  caring  much 
about  the  opinions  of  men,  because  his  independence  is 
sufficient  to  itself.  Nobody  would  take  him  for  other 
than  a  man  of  some  importance  in  the  community, 
though  his  summer  dress  is  a  tow-cloth  pair  of  panta 
loons,  a  shirt  not  of  the  cleanest,  open  at  the  breast,  and 
the  sleeves  rolled  up  at  the  elbows,  and  a  straw  hat. 
There  is  not  such  a  vast  difference  between  this  costume 

and  that  of  Lawyer  H above  mentioned,  yet  never 

was  there  a  greater  diversity  of  appearance  than  between 
these  two  men  ;  and  a  glance  at  them  would  be  sufficient 
to  mark  the  difference.  The  blacksmith  loves  his  glass, 
and  comes  to  the  tavern  for  it,  whenever  it  seems  good  to 
him,  not  calling  for  it  slyly  and  shyly,  but  marching 
steadily  to  the  bar,  or  calling  across  the  room  for  it 
to  be  prepared.  He  speaks  with  great  bitterness  against 
the  new  license  law,  and  vows  if  it  be  not  repealed  by 
fair  means  it  shall  be  by  violence,  and  that  he  will  be 
as  ready  to  cock  his  rifle  for  such  a  cause  as  for  any 
other.  On  this  subject  his  talk  is  really  fierce ;  but  as 
to  all  other  matters  he  is  good-natured  and  good-hearted, 
fond  of  joke,  and  shaking  his  jolly  sides  with  frequent 


AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  135 


laughter.  His  conversation  has  much  strong,  unlettered 
sense,  imbued  with  humor,  as  everybody's  talk  is  in 
New  England. 

He  takes  a  queer  position  sometimes,  —  queer  for 
his  figure  particularly,  —  straddling  across  a  chair,  facing 
the  back,  with  his  arms  resting  thereon,  and  his  chin  on 
them,  for  the  benefit  of  conversing  closely  with  some  one. 
When  he  has  spent  as  much  time  in  the  bar-room  or 
under  the  stoop  as  he  chooses  to  spare,  he  gets  up  at 
once,  and  goes  off  with  a  brisk,  vigorous  pace.  He  owns 
a  mill,  and  seems  to  be  prosperous  in  the  world.  I 
know  no  man  who  seems  more  like  a  man,  more  in 
describably  human,  than  this  sturdy  blacksmith. 

There  came  in  the  afternoon  a  respectable  man  in 
gray  homespun  cloth,  who  arrived  in  a  wagon,  I  believe, 
and  began  to  inquire,  after  supper,  about  a  certain  new 
kind  of  mill  machinery.  Being  referred  to  the  black 
smith,  who  owned  one  of  these  mills,  the  stranger  said  that 
he  had  come  from  Vermont  to  learn  about  the  matter. 
"  What  may  I  call  your  name  ?  "  said  he  to  the  black 
smith.  "  My  name  is  Hodge,"  replied  the  latter.  "I 
believe  I  have  heard  of  you,"  said  the  stranger.  Then 
they  colloquied  at  much  length  about  the  various  pecu 
liarities  and  merits  of  the  new  invention.  The  stranger 
continued  here  two  or  three  days,  making  his  research 
es,  and  forming  acquaintance  with  several  millwrights 
and  others.  He  was  a  man  evidently  of  influence  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  the  tone  of  his  conversation  was  in 
the  style  of  one  accustomed  to  be  heard  with  deference, 
though  all  in  a  plain  and  homely  way.  Lawyer  H  -  • 
.ook  notice  of  this  mariner  ;  for  the  talk  being  about  the 
nature  of  soap,  and  the  evil  odor  arising  from  that  pro- 


136  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

cess,  the  stranger  joined  in.  "  There  need  not  be  any 
disagreeable  smell  in  making  soap,"  said  he.  **  Now  we 

are  to  receive  a  lesson,"  said  II ,  and  the  remark  waa 

particularly  apropos  to  the  large  wisdom  of  the  stranger's 
tone  and  air. 

Then  he  gave  an  account  of  the  process  in  his  domes 
tic  establishment,  saying  that  he  threw  away  the  whole 
offals  of  the  hog,  as  not  producing  any  soap,  and  pre 
served  the  skins  of  the  intestines  for  sausages,  lie 
seemed  to  be  hospitable,  inviting  those  with  whom  he 
did  business  to  take  "a  mouthful  of  dinner"  with  him, 
and  treating  them  with  liquors ;  for  he  was  not  an  utter 
temperance  man,  though  moderate  in  his  potations.  I 
suspect  he  would  turn  out  a  pattern  character  of  the 
upper  class  of  New  England  yeomen,  if  I  had  an  oppor 
tunity  of  studying  him.  Doubtless  he  had  been  select 
man,  representative,  and  justice,  and  had  filled  all  but 
weighty  offices.  He  was  highly  pleased  with  the  new 
mill  contrivance,  and  expressed  his  opinion  that,  when 
his  neighbors  saw  the  success  of  his,  it  would  be  exten 
sively  introduced  into  that  vicinity. 

Mem.  The  hostlers  at  taverns  call  the  money  given 
them  "pergasus," —  corrupted  from  "perquisites." 
Otherwise  "  knock-down  money." 

Remarkable  character:  —  A  travelling  surgeon-den 
tist,  who  has  taken  a  room  in  the  North  Adams  House, 
and  sticks  up  his  advertising  bills  on  the  pillars  of  the 
piazza,  and  all  about  the  town.  He  is  a  tall,  slim  young 
man,  six  feet  two,  dressed  in  a  country-made  coat  of 
light  blue  (taken,  as  he  tells  me,  in  exchange  for  dental 
operations),  black  pantaloons,  and  clumsy,  cowhide 
boots.  Self-conceit  is  very  strongly  expressed  in  hii 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  137 

pir;  and  a  doctor  once  told  him  that  he  owed  his  life  to 
thai  quality ;  for,  by  keeping  himself  so  stiffly  upright, 
he  opens  his  chest,  and  counteracts  a  consumptive  ten 
dency.  He  is  not  only  a  dentist,  which  trade  he  follows 
temporarily,  but  a  licensed  preacher  of  the  Baptist 
persuasion,  and  is  now  on  his  way  to  the  West  to  seek 
a  place  of  settlement  in  his  spiritual  vocation.  What 
ever  education  he  possesses,  he  has  acquired  by  his  own 
exertions  since  the  age  of  twenty-one,  —  he  being  now 
twenty-four.  We  talk  together  very  freely ;  and  he 
has  given  me  an  account,  among  other  matters,  of  all  his 
love-affairs,  which  are  rather  curious,  as  illustrative  of 
the  life  of  a  smart  young  country  fellow  in  relation  to 
the  gentle  sex.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  exquisite  self- 
conceit  which  characterizes  these  confidences,  and  which 
is  expressed  inimitably  in  his  face,  his  upturned  nose, 
and  mouth,  so  as  to  be  truly  a  caricature  ;  and  he 
seems  strangely  to  find  as  much  food  for  his  passion  in 
having  been  jilted  once  or  twice  as  in  his  conquests. 
It  is  curious  to  notice  his  revengeful  feeling  against  the 
false  ones,  —  hidden  from  himself,  however,  under  the 
guise  of  religious  interest,  and  desire  that  they  may  be 
cured  of  their  follies. 

A  little  boy  named  Joe,  who  haunts  about  the  bar 
room  and  the  stoop,  four  years  old,  in  a  thin,  short 
jacket,  and  full-breeched  trousers,  and  bare  feet.  The 
men  tease  him,  and  put  quids  of  tobacco  in  his  mouth, 
under  pretence  of  giving  him  a  fig ;  and  he  gets  en 
raged,  and  utters  a  peculiar,  sharp,  spiteful  cry,  and 
strikes  at  them  with  a  stick,  to  their  great  mirth.  He 
is  always  in  trouble,  yet  will  not  keep  away.  They  de 
spatch  him  with  two  or  three  cents  to  buy  candy  and 


138  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [183& 

nuts  and  raisins.  They  set  him  down  in  a  niche  of 
the  door,  and  tell  him  to  remain  there  a  day  and  a  half: 
he  sits  down  very  demurely,  as  if  he  meant  to  fulfil  his 
pe  iance  ;  but  a  moment  after,  behold  !  there  is  little 
Joe  capering  across  the  street  to  join  two  or  three 
boys  who  are  playing  in  a  wagon.  Take  this  boy  as 
the  germ  of  a  tavern-haunter,  a  country  roue,  to  spend 
a  wild  and  brutal  youth,  ten  years  of  his  prime  in  the 
State  Prison,  and  his  old  age  in  the  poorhouse. 

There  are  a  great  many  dogs  kept  in  the  village,  and 
many  of  the  travellers  also  have  dogs.  Some  are  al 
most  always  playing  about ;  and  if  a  cow  or  a  pig  be 
passing,  two  or  three  of  them  scamper  forth  for  an 
attack.  Some  of  the  younger  sort  chase  pigeons,  wheel 
ing  as  they  wheel.  If  a  contest  arises  between  two 
dogs,  a  number  of  others  come  with  huge  barking  to 
join  the  fray,  though  I  believe  that  they  do  not  really 
take  any  active  part  in  the  contest,  but  swell  the  up 
roar  by  way  of  encouraging  the  combatants.  When  a 
traveller  is  starting  from  the  door,  his  dog  often  gets  in 
front  of  the  horse,  placing  his  forefeet  down,  looking  the 
horse  in  the  face,  and  barking  loudly,  then,  as  the  horse 
comes  on,  running  a  little  farther,  and  repeating  the 
process  ;  and  this  he  does  in  spite  of  his  master's  remon 
strances,  till,  the  horse  being  fairly  started,  the  dog 
follows  on  quietly.  One  dog,  a  diminutive  little  beast, 
has  been  taught  to  stand  on  his  hind  legs,  and  rub  his 
face  with  his  paw,  which  he  does  with  an  aspect  of 
much  endurance  and  deprecation.  Another  springs  at 
people  whom  his  master  points  out  to  him,  barking  and 
pretending  to  bite.  These  tricks  make  much  mirth  in 
the  bar-room.  All  dogs,  of  whatever  different  sizes  and 


838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  139 

dissimilar  varieties,  acknowledge  the  common  bond  of 
species  among  themselves,  and  the  largest  one  does  not 
disdain  to  suffer  his  tail  to  be  smelt  of,  nor  to  recipro 
cate  that  courtesy  to  the  smallest.  They  appear  to  take 
much  interest  in  one  another ;  but  there  is  always  a 
degree  of  caution  between  two  strange  dogs  when  they 
meet. 

July  31st. —  A  visit  to  what  is  called  "Hudson's 
Cave,"  or  "  Hudson's  Falls,"  — the  tradition  being  that 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Henry  Hudson,  many  years  ago, 
chasing  a  deer,  the  deer  fell  over  the  place,  which  then 
first  became  known  to  white  men.  It  is  not  properly  a 
cave,  but  a  fissure  in  a  huge  ledge  of  marble,  through 
which  a  stream  has  been  for  ages  forcing  its  way,  and 
has  left  marks  of  its  gradually  wearing  power  on  the 
tall  crags,  having  made  curious  hollows  from  the  sum 
mit  down  to  the  level  which  it  has  reached  at  the  present 
day.  The  depth  of  the  fissure  in  some  places  is  at 
least  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  perhaps  more,  and  at  several 
points  it  nearly  closes  over,  and  often  the  sight  of  the 
sky  is  hidden  by  the  interposition  of  masses  of  the  marble 
crags.  The  fissure  is  very  irregular,  so  as  not  to  be 
describable  in  words,  and  scarcely  to  be  painted, — 
jetting  buttresses,  moss-grown,  impending  crags,  with 
tall  trees  growing  on  their  verge,  nodding  over  the 
head  of  the  observer  at  the  bottom  of  the  chasm,  and 
rooted,  as  it  were,  in  air.  The  part  where  the  water 
works  its  way  down  is  very  narrow  ;  but  the  chasm 
widens,  after  the  descent,  so  as  to  form  a  spacious 
chamber  between  the  crags,  open  to  the  sky,  and  its 
floor  is  stiewn  with  fallen  fragments  of  marble,  and  trees 


140  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 


that  have  been  precipitated  long  ago,  and  are  heaped 
with  drift-wood,  left  there  by  the  freshets,  when  the 
scanty  stream  becomes  a  considerable  waterfall.  One 
crag,  with  a  narrow  ridge,  which  might  be  climbed 
without  much  difficulty,  protrudes  from  the  middle  of 
the  rock,  and  divides  the  fall.  The  passage  through 
the  cave  made  by  the  stream  is  very  crooked,  and 
interrupted,  not  only  by  fallen  wrecks,  but  by  deep 
pools  of  water,  which  probably  have  been  forded  by 
few.  As  the  deepest  pool  occurs  in  the  most  uneven 
part  of  the  chasm,  where  the  hollows  in  the  sides  of  the 
crag  are  deepest,  so  that  each  hollow  is  almost  a  cave 
by  itself,  I  determined  to  wade  through  it,  There  was 
an  accumulation  of  soft  stuff  on  the  bottom,  so  that  the 
water  did  not  look  more  than  knee-deep  ;  but,  finding 
that  my  feet  sunk  in  it,  I  took  off  my  trousers,  and 
waded  through,  up  to  my  middle.  Thus  I  reached  the 
most  interesting  part  of  the  cave,  where  the  whirlings 
of  the  stream  had  left  the  marks  of  its  eddies  in  the  solid 
marble,  all  up  and  down  the  two  sides  of  the  chasm. 
The  water  is  now  dammed  for  the  construction  of  two 
marble  saw-mills,  else  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  effect  the  passage  ;  and  I  presume  that,  for  years 
after  the  cave  was  discovered,  the  waters  roared  and 
tore  their  way  in  a  torrent  through  this  part  of  the 
chasm.  While  I  was  there,  I  iieard  voices,  ?Tid  a  small 
s*one  tumbled  down  ;  and  looking  up  towards  the  narrow 
strip  of  bright  light,  and  the  sunny  verdure  that  peeped 
over  the  top,  —  looking  up  thither  from  the  deep, 
gloomy  depth,—  I  saw  two  or  three  men  ;  and,  not  liking 
to  be  to  them  the  most  curious  part  of  the  spectacle, 
I  waded  back,  and  put  on  my  clothes.  The  marble 


J838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  141 

crags  are  overspread  with  a  concretion,  which  makes 
them  look  as  gray  as  granite,  except  where  the  continual 
flow  of  water  keeps  them  of  a  snowy  whiteness.  If  they 
were  so  white  all  over,  it  would  be  a  splendid  show. 
There  is  a  marble  quarry  close  in  the  rear,  above  the 
cave,  and  in  process  of  time  the  whole  of  the  crags  will 
be  quarried  into  tombstones,  doorsteps,  fronts  of  edi 
fices,  fireplaces,  &c.  That  will  be  a  pity.  On  such 
portions  of  the  walls  as  are  within  reach,  visitors  have 
sculptured  their  initials,  or  names  at  full  length  ;  and 
the  white  letters  showing  plainly  on  the  gray  surface, 
they  have  more  obvious  effect  than  such  inscriptions 
generally  have.  There  was  formerly,  I  believe,  a  com 
plete  arch  of  marble,  forming  a  natural  bridge  over  the 
top  of  the  cave  ;  but  this  is  no  longer  so.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  broad  chamber  of  the  cave,  standing  in  its  shad 
ow,  the  effect  of  the  morning  sunshine  on  the  dark  or 
bright  foliage  of  the  pines  and  other  trees  that  cluster 
on  the  summits  of  the  crags  was  particularly  beauti 
ful  ;  and  it  was  strange  how  such  great  trees  had  rooted 
themselves  in  solid  marble,  for  so  it  seemed. 

After  passing  through  this  romantic  and  most  pictu 
resque  spot,  the  stream  goes  onward  to  turn  factories. 
Here  its'  voice  resounds  within  the  hollow  crags  ;  there 
it  goes  onward,  talking  to  itself,  with  babbling  din,  of  its 
own  wild  thoughts  and  fantasies,  —  the  voice  of  soli 
tude  and  the  wilderness,  —  loud  and  continual,  but 
which  yet  does  not  seem  to  disturb  the  thoughtful 
wanderer,  so  that  he  forgets  there  is  a  noise.  It  talks 
along  its  storm-strewn  path  ;  it  talks  beneath  tall  preci 
pices  and  high  banks,  —  a  voice  that  has  been  the  same 
for  innumerable  ages  ;  <tnd  yet,  if  you  listen,  you  will 


142  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833 

perceive  a  continual  change  and  variety  in  its  babble, 
and  sometimes  it  seems  to  swell  louder  upon  the  ear 
than  at  others,  —  in  the  same  spot,  I  mean.  By  and 
by  man  makes  a  dam  for  it,  and  it  pours  over  it,  still 
making  its  voice  heard,  while  it  labors.  At  one  shop 
for  manufacturing  the  marble,  I  saw  the  disk  of  a  sun 
dial  as  large  as  the  top  of  a  hogshead,  intended  for 
Williams  College  ;  also  a  small  obelisk,  and  numerous 
gravestones.  The  marble  is  coarse-grained,  but  of  a 
very  brilliant  whiteness.  It  is  rather  a  pity  that  the 
cave  is  not  formed  of  some  worthless  stone. 

In  the  deep  valleys  of  the  neighborhood,  where  the 
shadows"  at  sunset  are  thrown  from  mountain  to  moun 
tain,  the  clouds  have  a  beautiful  effect,  flitting  high  over 
them,  bright  with  heavenly  gold.  It  seems  as  if 
the  soul  might  rise  up  from  the  gloom,  and  alight  upon 
them  and  soar  away.  Walking  along  one  of  the  valleys 
the  other  evening,  while  a  pretty  fresh  breeze  blew 
across  it,  the  clouds  that  were  skimming  over  my  head 
seemed  to  conform  themselves  to  the  valley's  shape. 

At  a  distance,  mountain  summits  look  close  together, 
almost  as  if  forming  one  mountain,  though  in  reality  a 
village  lies  in  the  depths  between  them. 

A  steam-engine  in  a  factory  to  be  supposed  to  possess 
a  malignant  spirit.  It  catches  one  man's  arm,  and  pulls 
it  off;  seizes  another  by  the  coat-tails,  and  almost  grap 
ples  him  bodily ;  catches  a  girl  by  the  hair,  and  scalps 
her ;  and  finally  draws  in  a  man,  and  crushes  him  to 
death. 

The  one-armed  soap-maker,  Lawyer  H ,  wears 

an  iron  hook,  which  serves  him  instead  of  a  hand  for 
the  purpose  of  holding  on.  They  nickname  him  "  Bl.'tck 
Hawk." 


1838. j  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  143 

North  Adams  still.  —  The  village,  viewed  from  the 
top  of  a  hill  to  the  westward  at  sunset,  has  a  peculiarly 
happy  and  peaceful  look.  It  lies  on  a  level,  surrounded 
by  hills,  and  seems  as  if  it  lay  in  the  hollow  of  a  large 
hand.  The  Union  Village  may  be  seen,  a  manufacturing 
place,  extending  up  a  gorge  of  the  hills.  It  is  amusing 
to  see  all  the  distributed  property  of  the  aristocracy 
and  commonalty,  the  various  and  conflicting  interests 
of  the  town,  the  loves  and  hates,  compressed  into  a 
ep&ce  which  the  eye  takes  in  as  completely  as  the 
arrangement  of  a  tea-table.  The  rush  of  the  streams 
comes  up  the  hill  somewhat  like  the  sound  of  a  city. 

The  hills  about  the  village  appear  very  high  and 
steep  sometimes,  when  the  shadows  of  the  clouds  are 
thrown  blackly  upon  them,  while  there  is  sunshine  else 
where  ;  so  that,  seen  in  front,  the  effect  of  their  gradual 
slope  is  lost.  These  hills,  surrounding  the  town  on  all 
sides,  give  it  a  snug  and  insulated  air ;  and,  viewed 
from  certain  points,  it  would  be  difficult  to  tell  how  to 
get  out,  without  climbing  the  mountain  ridges  ;  but  the 
roads  wind  away  and  accomplish  the  passage  without 
ascending  very  high.  Sometimes  the  notes  of  a  horn  or 
bugle  may  be  heard  sounding  afar  among  these  passes 
of  the  mountains,  announcing  the  coming  of  the  stage 
coach  from  Bennington  or  Troy  or  Greenfield  or  Pitts- 
field. 

There  are  multitudes  of  sheep  among  the  hills,  and 
they  appear  very  tame  and  gentle  ;  though  sometimes, 
like  the  wicked,  they  "  flee  when  no  man  pursueth." 
But,  climbing  a  rude,  rough,  rocky,  stumpy,  ferny 
height  yesterday,  one  or  two  of  them  stood  and  stared 
at  me  with  great  earnestness.  I  passed  on  quietly,  but 


144  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  l~1833. 

soon  heard  an  immense  baa-ing  up  the  hill,  and  all  the 
sheep  came  galloping  and  scrambling  after  me,  baa-ing 
with  all  their  might  in  innumerable  voices,  running  in  a 
compact  body,  expressing  the  utmost  eagerness,  as  if 
they  sought  the  greatest  imaginable  favor  from  me ;  and 
so  they  accompanied  me  down  the  hillside,  —  a  most 
ridiculous  cortege.  Doubtless  they  had  taken  it  into 
their  heads  that  I  brought  them  salt. 

The  aspect  of  the  village  is  peculiarly  beautiful  to 
wards  sunset,  when  there  are  masses  of  cloud  about  the 
sky,  —  the  remnants  of  a  thunder-storm.  These  clouds 
throw  a  shade  upon  large  portions  of  the  rampart  of 
hills,  and  the  hills  towards  the  west  are  shaded  of  course  ; 
the  clouds  also  make  the  shades  deeper  in  the  village, 
and  thus  the  sunshine  on  the  houses  and  trees,  and  along 
the  street,  is  a  bright,  rich  gold.  The  green  is  deeper 
in  consequence  of  the  recent  rain. 

The  doctors  walk  about  the  village  with  their  sad 
dle-bags  on  their  arms,  one  always  with  a  pipe  in  his 
mouth. 

A  little  dog,  named  Snapper,  the  same  who  stands  on 
his  hind  legs,  appears  to  be  a  roguish  little  dog,  and 
the  other  day  he  stole  one  of  the  servant-girl's  shoes, 
and  ran  into  the  street  with  it.  Being  pursued,  he 
would  lift  the  shoe  in  his  mouth  (while  it  almost  dragged 
on  the  ground),  and  run  a  little  way,  then  lie  down 
with  his  paws  on  it,  and  wait  to  be  pursued  again. 

August  11th.  —  This  morning,  it  being  cloudy  and 
boding  of  rain,  the  clouds  had  settled  upon  the  moun 
tains,  both  on  the  summits  and  ridges,  all  round  the 
town,  so  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  gaining 


1838.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  145 

access  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  unless  by  climbing  above 
the  clouds.  By  and  by  they  partially  dispersed,  giving 
glimpses  of  the  mountain  ramparts  through  their  ob 
scurity,  the  separate  clouds  lying  heavily  upon  the 
mountain's  breast.  In  warm  mornings,  after  rain,  the 
mist  breaks  forth  from  the  forests  on  the  ascent  of  the 
mountains,  like  smoke,  —  the  smoke  of  a  volcano ; 
then  it  soars  up,  and  becomes  a  cloud  in  heaven.  But 
these  clouds  to-day  were  real  rain-clouds.  Sometimes, 
it  is  said,  while  laboring  up  the  mountain-side,  they 
suddenly  burst,  and  pour  down  their  moisture  in  a  cata 
ract,  sweeping  all  before  it. 

Every  new  aspect  of  the  mountains,  or  view  from  a 
different  position,  creates  a  surprise  in  the  mind. 

Scenes  and  characters  :  —  A  young  country  fellow, 
twenty  or  thereabouts,  decently  dressed,  pained  with  the 
toothache.  A  doctor,  passing  on  horseback,  with  his 
black  leather  saddle-bags  behind  him,  a  thin,  frosty- 
haired  man.  Being  asked  to  operate,  he  looks  at  the 
tooth,  lances  the  gum,  and  the  fellow  being  content  to 
be  dealt  with  on  the  spot,  he  seats  himself  in  a  chair  on 
the  stoop  with  great  heroism.  The  doctor  produces  a 
rusty  pair  of  iron  forceps ;  a  man  holds  the  patient's 
head  ;  the  doctor  perceives  that,  it  being  a  difficult  tooth 
to  get  at,  wedged  between  the  two  largest  in  his  jaws, 
he  must  pull  very  hard ;  and  the  instrument  is  intro 
duced.  A  turn  of  the  doctor's  hand  ;  the  patient  begins 
to  utter  a  cry,  but  the  tooth  comes  out  first,  with  four 
prongs.  The  patient  gets  up,  half  amazed,  pays  the 
doctor  ninepence,  pockets  the  tooth,  and  the  spectators 
are  in  glee  and  admiration. 

There  was  a  fat  woman,  a  stage  passenger  to-day,  — 

VOL.    I.  7  J 


146  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

a  wonder  how  she  could  possibly  get  through  the  door, 
which  seemed  not  so  wide  as  she.  When  she  put  her 
foot  on  the  step,  the  stage  gave  a  great  lurch,  she  joking 
all  the  while.  A  great,  coarse,  red-faced  dame.  Other 
passengers,  —  three  or  four  slender  Williamstown  stu 
dents,  a  young  girl,  and  a  man  with  one  leg  and  two 
crutches. 

One  of  the  most  sensible  men  in  this  village  is  a  plain, 
tall,  elderly  person,  who  is  overseeing  the  mending  of  a 
road,  —  humorous,  intelligent,  with  much  thought  about 
matters  and  things  ;  and  while  at  work  he  has  a  sort  of 
dignity  in  handling  the  hoe  or  crow-bar,  which  showa 
him  to  be  the  chief.  In  the  evening  he  sits  under  the 
stoop,  silent  and  observant  from  under  the  brim  of  his 
hat ;  but,  occasion  calling,  he  holds  an  argument  about 
the  benefit  or  otherwise  of  manufactories  or  other 
things.  A  simplicity  characterizes  him  more  than  ap 
pertains  to  most  Yankees. 

A  man  in  a  pea-green  frock-coat,  with  velvet  collar. 
Another  in  a  flowered  chintz  frock-coat.  There  is  a 
great  diversity  of  hues  in  garments.  A  doctor,  a  stout, 
tall,  round-paunched,  red-faced,  brutal-looking  old 
fellow,  who  gets  drunk  daily.  He  sat  down  on  the  step 
of  our  stoop,  looking  surly,  and  speaking  to  nobody ; 
then  got  up  and  walked  homeward,  Avith  a  morose 
swagger  and  a  slight  unevenness  of  gait,  attended  by  a 
fine  Newfoundland  dog. 

A  barouche  with  driver  returned  from  beyond 
Greenfield  or  Troy  empty,  the  passengers  being  left 
at  the  former  place.  The  driver  stops  here  for  the 
night,  and,  while  washing,  enters  into  talk  with  an  old 
man  about  the  different  roads  over  the  mountain, 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  147 

People  washing  themselves  at  a  common  basin  in  the 
bar-room  !  and  using  the  common  hair-brushes !  perhaps 
with  a  consciousness  of  praiseworthy  neatness ! 

A  man  with  a  cradle  on  his  shoulder,  having  been 
cradling  oats.  I  attended  a  child's  funeral  yesterday 
afternoon.  There  was  an  assemblage  of  people  in  a 
plain,  homely  apartment.  Most  of  the  men  were  d: essed 
in  their  ordinary  clothes,  and  one  or  two  were  in  shirt 
sleeves.  The  coffin  was  placed  in  the  midst  of  us,  cov 
ered  with  a  velvet  pall.  A  bepaid  clergyman  prayed 
(the  audience  remaining  seated,  while  he  stood  up  at 
the  head  of  the  coffin),  read  a  passage  of  Scripture  and 
commented  upon  it.  While  he  read  and  prayed  and 
expounded  there  was  a  heavy  thunder-storm  rumbling 
among  the  surrounding  hills,  and  the  lightning  flashed 
fiercely  through  the  gloomy  room  ;  and  the  preacher 
alluded  to  GOD'S  voice  of  thunder. 

It  is  the  custom  in  this  part  of  the  country  —  and 
perhaps  extensively  in  the  interior  of  New  England  — 
to  bury  the  dead  first  in  a  charnel-house,  or  common 
tomb,  where  they  remain  till  decay  has  so  far  pro 
gressed  as  to  secure  them  from  the  resurrectionists. 
They  are  then  reburied,  with  certain  ceremonies,  in 
their  own  peculiar  graves. 

O.  E.  S ,  a  widower  of  forty  or  upwards,  with  a 

son  of  twelve  and  a  pair  of  infant  twins.  He  is  a  sharp, 
shrewd  Yankee,  with  a  Yankee's  license  of  honesty 
He  drinks  sometimes  more  than  enough,  and  is  guilty 
of  peccadilloes  with  the  fair  sex  ;  yet  speaks  most  affec 
tionately  of  his  wife,  and  is  a  fond  and  careful  father. 
He  is  a  tall,  thin,  hard-featured  man,  with  a  sly  expres 
sion  of  almost  hidden  grave  humor,  as  if  there  were  some 


148  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838* 

deviltry  pretty  constantly  in  his  mind,  —  which  is  proba^ 
bly  the  case.  His  brother  tells  me  that  he  was  driven 
almost  crazy  by  the  loss  of  his  wife.  It  appears  to  me 
that  men  are  more  affected  by  the  deaths  of  their  wives 
than  wives  by  the  deaths  of  their  husbands.  Orrin 
S smokes  a  pipe,  as  do  many  of  the  guests. 

A  walk  this  forenoon  up  the  mountain  ridge  that 
walls  in  the  town  towards  the  east.  The  road  is  cut 
zigzag,  the  mountain  being  generally  as  steep  as  the 
roof  of  a  house;  yet  the  stage  to  Greenfield  passes  over 
this  road  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Graylock  rose 
up  behind  me,  appearing,  with  its  two  summits  and  a 
long  ridge  between,  like  a  huge  monster  crouching 
down  slumbering,  with  its  head  slightly  elevated.  Gray- 
lock  is  properly  the  name  for  the  highest  elevation.  It 
appeared  to  better  advantage  the  higher  the  point 
from  which  I  viewed  it.  There  were  houses  scattered 
here  and  there  up  the  mountain-side,  growing  poorer  as 
I  ascended;  the  last  that  I  passed  was  a  mean  log- 
&ut,  rough,  rude,  and  dilapidated,  with  the  smoke  issu 
ing  from  a  chimney  of  small  stones,  plastered  with  clay : 
-around  it  a  garden  of  beans,  with  some  attempt  at  flow 
ers,  and  a  green  creeper  running  over  the  side  of  the 
cottage.  Above  this  point  there  were  various  excellent 
views  of  mountain  scenery,  far  off  and  near,  and 
one  village  lying  below  in  the  hollow  vale. 

Having  climbed  so  far  that  the  road  seemed  now  to 
go  downward,  I  retraced  my  steps.  There  was  a  wag 
on  descending  behind  me  ;  and  as  it  followed  the  zig 
zag  of  the  road  I  could  hear  the  voices  of  the  men 
high  over  my  head,  and  sometimes  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  wagon  almost  perpendicularly  above  me,  while  1 


1833.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  149 

was  looking  almost  perpendicularly  down  to  the  log-hut 
aforementioned.  Trees  were  thick  on  either  hand,  — 
oaks,  pines,  and  others  ;  and  marble  occasionally  peeped 
up  in  the  road ;  and  there  was  a  lime-kiln  by  the  way 
side,  ready  for  burning. 

Graylock  had  a  cloud  on  his  head  this  morning,  the 
base  of  a  heavy  white  cloud.  The  distribution  of  the 
sunshine  amid  mountain  scenery  is  very  striking  ;  one 
does  not  see  exactly  why  one  spot  should  be  in  deep 
obscurity  while  others  are  all  bright.  The  clouds 
throw  their  shadows  upon  the  hillsides  as  they  mo\rf 
slowly  along,  —  a  transitory  blackness. 

I  passed  a  doctor  high  up  the  road  in  a  sulky,  with 
his  black  leather  saddle-bags. 

Hudson's  Cave  is  formed  by  Hudson's  Brook.  There 
is  a  natural  arch  of  marble  still  in  one  part  of  it.  The 
cliffs  are  partly  made  verdant  with  green  moss,  chief 
ly  gray  with  oxidation ;  on  some  parts  the  white  of 
the  marble  is  seen ;  in  interstices  grow  brake  and 
other  shrubs,  so  that  there  is  naked  sublimity  seen 
through  a  good  deal  of  clustering  beauty.  Above,  the 
birch,  poplars,  and  pines  grow  on  the  utmost  verge 
of  the  cliffs,  which  jut  far  over,  so  that  they  are  sus 
pended  in  air ;  and  whenever  the  sunshine  finds  its  way 
into  the  depths  of  the  chasm,  the  branches  wave  across 
it.  There  is  a  lightness,  however,  about  their  foliage, 
which  greatly  relieves  what  would  otherwise  be  a 
gloomy  scene.  After  the  passage  of  the  stream  through 
the  cliffs  of  marble,  the  cliffs  separate  on  either  side, 
and  leave  it  to  flow  onward ;  intercepting  its  passage, 
however,  by  fragments  of  marble,  some  of  them  huge 
ones,  which  :Le  cliffs  have  flung  down,  thundering  into 


150  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833. 

the  bed  of  the  stream  through  numberless  ages.  Doubt 
less  some  of  these  immense  fragments  had  trees  grow 
ing  on  them,  which  have  now  mouldered  away.  De 
caying  trunks  are  heaped  in  various  parts  of  the  gorge. 
The  pieces  of  marble  that  are  washed  by  the  water 
are  of  a  snow-white,  and  partially  covered  with  a  bright 
green  water-moss,  making  a  beautiful  contrast. 

Among  the  cliffs,  strips  of  earth-beach  extend  down 
ward,  and  trees  and  large  shrubs  root  themselves  in 
that  earth,  thus  further  contrasting  the  nakedness  of  the 
stone  with  their  green  foliage.  But  the  immediate 
part  where  the  stream  forces  its  winding  passage  through 
the  rock  is  stern,  dark,  and  mysterious. 

Along  the  road,  where  it  runs  beneath  a  steep,  there 
are  high  ridges,  covered  with  trees,  —  the  dew  of  mid 
night  damping  the  earth,  far  towards  midnoon.  I  ob 
served  the  shadows  of  water-insects,  as  they  swam  in 
the  pools  of  a  stream.  Looking  down  a  streamlet,  I 
saw  a  trunk  of  a  tree,  which  has  been  overthrown  by 
the  wind,  so  as  to  form  a  bridge,  yet  sticking  up  all  its 
branches,  as  if  it  were  unwilling  to  assist  anybody 
over. 

Green  leaves,  following  the  eddies  of  the  rivulet, 
were  now  borne  deep  under  water,  and  now  emerged. 
Great  uprooted  trees,  adhering  midway  down  a  preci 
pice  of  earth,  hung  with  their  tops  downward. 

There  is  an  old  man,  selling  the  meats  of  butternuts 
under  the  stoop  of  the  hotel.  He  makes  that  his  station 
during  a  part  of  the  season.  He  was  dressed  in  a  dark 
thin  coat,  ribbed  velvet  pantaloons,  and  a  sort  of  moc- 
casons,  or  shoes,  appended  to  the  legs  of  woollen  stock 
ings.  He  had  on  a  straw  hat,  and  his  hail  was  gray, 


1838.]  AMEitlCAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  151 

with  a  long,  thin  visage.  His  nuts  were  contained  in  a 
square  tin  box,  having  two  compartments,  one  for  the 
nuts,  and  another  for  maple  sugar,  which  he  sells  in 
small  cakes.  He  had  three  small  tin  measures  for 
nuts,  —  one  at  one  cent,  others  at  two,  four,  and  six 
cents ;  and  as  fast  as  they  were  emptied,  he  filled  them 
again,  and  put  them  on  the  top  of  his  box.  He  smoked 
a  pipe,  and  talked  with  one  man  about  whether  it  would 
be  worth  while  to  grow  young  again,  and  the  duty  of 
being  contented  with  old  age  ;  about  predestination  and 
free-will  and  other  metaphysics.  I  asked  him  what  his 
sales  amounted  to  in  the  course  of  a  day.  He  said  that 
butternuts  did  not  sell  so  well  as  walnuts,  which  are 
not  yet  in  season  ;  that  he  might  to-day  have  sold  fifty 
cents'  worth ;  of  walnuts,  never  less  than  a  dollar's 
worth,  often  more  ;  and  when  he  went  round  with  a 
caravan,  he  had  sold  fifteen  dollars'  worth  per  day,  and 
once  as  much  as  twenty  dollars'  worth.  This  promises 
to  be  an  excellent  year  for  walnuts.  Chestnuts  have 
been  scarce  for  two  or  three  years.  He  had  one  hun 
dred  chestnut-trees  on  his  own  land,  and  last  year  he 
offered  a  man  twenty-five  cents  if  he  would  find  him  a 
quart  of  good  chestnuts  on  them.  A  bushel  of  walnuts 
would  cost  about  ten  dollars.  He  wears  a  pair  of  sil 
ver-rimmed  spectacles. 

A  drunken  fellow  sat  down  by  him,  and  bought  a 
cent's  worth  of  his  butternuts,  and  inquired  what  he 
would  sell  out  to  him  for.  The  old  man  made  an  esti 
mate,  though  evidently  in  jest,  and  then  reckoned  his 
box,  measures,  meats,  and  what  little  maple  sugar  he 
had,  at  four  dollars.  He  had  a  very  quiet  manner,  and 
expressed  an  intention  of  going  to  the  Commencement 


152  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [i838. 

at  Williarnstown  to-morrow.     His  name,  I   believe,  is 
Captain  Gavett. 

Wednesday,  August  15th. — I  went  to  Commence 
ment  at  Williams  College,  —  five  miles  distant. 
At  the  tavern  were  students  with  ribbons,  pink  or  blue, 
fluttering  from  their  button-holes,  these  being  the  badges 
of  rival  societies.  There  was  a  considerable  gathering 
of  people,  chiefly  arriving  in  wagons  or  buggies,  some 
in  barouches,  and  very  few  in  chaises.  The  most  char 
acteristic  part  of  the  scene  was  where  the  pedlers,  ginger 
bread-sellers,  &c.,  were  collected,  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  the  meeting-house.  There  was  a  pedler  there 
from  New  York  State,  who  sold  his  wares  by  auction, 
and  I  could  have  stood  and  listened  to  him  all  day  long. 
Sometimes  he  would  put  up  a  heterogeny  *  of  articles 
in  a  lot,  —  as  a  paper  of  pins,  a  lead  pencil,  and  a 
shaving-box,  —  and  knock  them  all  down,  perhaps  for 
ninepence.  Bunches  of  lead  pencils,  steel  pens,  pound 
cakes  of  shaving-soap,  gilt  finger-rings,  bracelets,  clasps, 
and  other  jewelry,  cards  of  pearl  buttons,  or  steel 
("  There  is  some  steel  about  them,  gentlemen,  for  my 
brother  stole  'em,  and  I  bore  him  out  in  it "),  bundles 
of  wooden  combs,  boxes  of  matches,  suspenders,  and,  in 
short,  everything,  —  dipping  his  hand  down  into  his 
wares  with  the  promise  of  a  wonderful  lot,  and  pro 
ducing,  perhaps,  a  bottle  of  opodeldoc,  and  joining  it. 
with  a  lead  pencil,  —  and  when  he  had  sold  several 
things  of  the  same  kind,  pretending  huge  surprise  at 
finding  "just  one  more,"  if  the  lads  lingered  ;  saying,  "  I 

*  This  is  a  word  made  by  Mr.  Hawthorne,  but  one  that  wai 
needed.  —  S.  H. 


ib::&.J  ATiEiucAX  NOTE-BOOKS.  153 

could  not  afford  to  steal  them  for  the  price ;  for  the  re 
morse  of  conscience  would  be  worth  more,"  —  all  the 
time  keeping  an  eye  upon  those  who  bought,  calling  for 
the  pay,  making  change  with  silver  or  bills,  and  de 
ciding  on  the  goodness  of  banks  ;  and  saying  to  the 
boys  who  climbed  upon  his  cart,  u  Fall  down,  roll  down, 
tumble  down,  only  get  down";  and  uttering  every 
thing  in  the  queer,  humorous  recitative  in  which  he 
sold  his  articles.  Sometimes  he  would  pretend  that  a 
person  had  bid,  either  by  word  or  wink,  and  raised  a 
laugh  thus ;  never  losing  his  self-possession,  nor  getting 
out  of  humor.  When  a  man  asked  whether  a  bill  were 
good :  "  No !  do  you  suppose  I  'd  give  you  good  money  ?  " 
When  he  delivered  an  article,  he  exclaimed,  "  You  're 
the  lucky  man,"  setting  off  his  wares  with  the  most 
extravagant  eulogies.  The  people  bought  very  freely, 
and  seemed  also  to  enjoy  the  fun.  One  little  boy 
bought  a  shaving-box,  perhaps  meaning  to  speculate 
upon  it.  This  character  could  not  possibly  be  over 
drawn  ;  and  he  was  really  excellent,  with  his  allusion 
to  what  was  passing,  intei  mingled,  doubtless,  with  a 
good  deal  that  was  studied.  He  was  a  man  between 
thirty  and  forty,  with  a  face  expressive  of  other  ability, 
as  well  as  of  humor. 

A  good  many  people  were  the  better  or  the  worse  for 
liquor.  There  was  one  fellow,  —  named  Randall,  I 
think,  —  a  round-shouldered,  bulky,  ill-hung  devil,  with 
a  pale,  sallow  skin,  black  beard,  and  a  sort  of  grin 
upon  his  face,  —  a  species  of  laugh,  yet  not  so  much 
mirthful  as  indicating  a  strange  mental  and  moral  twist. 
He  was  very  riotous  in  the  crowd,  elbowing,  thrusting, 
seizing  hold  of  people ;  and  at  last  a  ring  was  formed, 
7* 


154  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838, 

and  a  regular  wrestling-match  commenced  between 
him  and  a  farmer-looking  man.  Randall  brandished 
his  legs  about  in  the  most  ridiculous  style,  but  proved 
himself  a  good  wrestler,  and  finally  threw  his  antago 
nist.  He  got  up  with  the  same  grin  upon  his  features, 
—  nol  a  grin  of  simplicity,  but  intimating  knowingness. 
When  more  depth  or  force  of  expression  was  required, 
he  could  put  on  the  most  strangely  ludicrous  and  ugly 
aspect  (suiting  his  gesture  and  attitude  to  it)  that  can 
be  imagined.  I  should  like  to  see  this  fellow  when  he 
was  perfectly  sober. 

There  were  a  good  many  blacks  among  the  crowd. 
I  suppose  they  used  to  emigrate  across  the  border,  while 
New  York  was  a  slave  State.  There  were  enough  of 
them  to  form  a  party,  though  greatly  in  the  minority  ; 
and,  a  squabble  arising,  some  of  the  blacks  were  knocked 
down,  and  otherwise  maltreated.  I  saw  one  old  negro, 
a  genuine  specimen  of  the  slave  negro,  without  any  of 
the  foppery  of  the  race  in  our  part  of  the  State, —  an  old 
fellow,  with  a  bag,  I  suppose  of  broken  victuals,  on  his 
shoulder,  and  his  pockets  stuffed  out  at  his  hips  with 
the  like  provender ;  full  of  grimaces  and  ridiculous 
antics,  laughing  laughably,  yet  without  affectation ; 
then  talking  with  a  strange  kind  of  pathos  about  the 
whippings  he  used  to  get  while  he  was  a  slave  ;  —  a 
singular  creature,  of  mere  feeling,  with  some  glimmer 
ing  of  sense.  Then  there  was  another  gray  old  negro, 
but  of  a  different  stamp,  politic,  sage,  cautious,  yet  with 
boldness  enough,  talking  about  the  rights  of  his  race, 
yet  so  as  not  to  provoke  his  audience  ;  discoursing  of 
the  advantage  of  living  under  laws,  and  the  wonders 
that  might  ensue,  in  that  very  assemblage,  if  there 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  155 

were  no  laws ;  in  the  midst  of  this  deep  wisdom,  turn 
ing  off  the  anger  of  a  half-drunken  fellow  by  a  merry 
retort,  a  leap  in  the  air,  and  a  negro's  laugh.  I  was 
interested  —  there  being  a  drunken  negro  ascending  the 
meeting-house  steps,  and  near  him  three  or  four  well- 
dressed  and  decent  negro  wenches — to  see  the  look 
of  scorn  and  shame  and  sorrow  and  painful  sympathy 
which  one  of  them  assumed  at  this  disgrace  of  her 
color. 

The  people  here  show  out  their  character  much  more 
strongly  than  they  do  with  us ;  there  was  not  the 
quiet,  silent,  dull  decency  of  our  public  assemblages, 
but  mirth,  anger,  eccentricity,  —  all  manifesting  them 
selves  freely. 

There  were  many  watermelons  for  sale,  and  people 
burying  their  muzzles  deep  in  the  juicy  flesh  of  them. 
There  were  cider  and  beer.  Many  of  the  people  had 
their  mouths  half  opened  in  a  grin,  which,  more  than 
anything  else,  I  think,  indicates  a  low  stage  of  refine 
ment.  A  low-crowned  hat  —  very  low  —  is  common. 
They  are  respectful  to  gentlemen. 

A  bat  being  startled,  probably,  out  of  the  meeting 
house,  by  the  commotion  around,  flew  blindly  about  in 
the  sunshine,  and  alighted  on  a  man's  sleeve.  I  looked 
at  him,  —  a  droll,  winged,  beast-insect,  creeping  up  the 
man's  arm,  not  over-clean,  and  scattering  dust  on  the 
man's  coat  from  his  vampire  wings.  The  man  stared 
at  him,  and  let  the  spectators  stare  for  a  minute,  and 
then  shook  him  gently  off;  and  the  poor  devil  took  a 
flight  across  the  green  to  the  meeting-house,  and  then, 
I  believe,  alighted  on  somebody  else.  Probably  he  was 
put  to  death.  Bats  are  very  numerous  in  these  parts. 


156  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

There  was  a  drunken  man,  annoying  people  with  his 
senseless  talk  and  impertinences,  impelled  to  perform 
eccentricities  by  an  evil  spirit  in  him ;  and  a  pale  little 
boy,  with  a  bandaged  leg,  whom  his  father  brought  out 
of  the  tavern  and  put  into  a  barouche.  Then  the  boy 
needfully  placed  shawls  and  cushions  about  his  leg  to 
support  it,  his  face  expressive  of  pain  and  care,  —  not 
transitory,  but  settled  pain,  of  long  and  forcedly  patient 
endurance ;  and  this  painful  look,  perhaps,  gave  his 
face  more  intelligence  than  it  might  otherwise  have 
had,  though  it  was  naturally  a  sensitive  face.  Well- 
dressed  ladies  were  in  the  meeting-house  in  silks  and 
cambrics, — the  sunburnt  necks  in  contiguity  with  the 
delicate  fabrics  of  the  dresses  showing  the  yeomen's 
daughters. 

Country  graduates,  —  rough,  brown-featured,  school 
master-looking,  half-bumpkin,  half-scholarly  figures,  in 
black  ill-cut  broadcloth,  —  their  manners  quite  spoilt 
by  what  little  of  the  gentleman  there  was  in  them. 

The  landlord  of  the  tavern  keeping  his  eye  on  a 
man  whom  he  suspected  of  an  intention  to  bolt.* 

The  next  day  after  Commencement  was  bleak  and 
rainy  from  midnight  till  midnight,  and  a  good  many 
guests  were  added  to  our  table  in  consequence.  Among 
them  were  some  of  the  Williamstown  students,  gentle 
manly  young  fellows,  with  a  brotherly  feeling  for  each 
other,  a  freedom  about  money  concerns,  a  half-boyish, 
half-manly  character ;  and  my  heart  warmed  to  them. 
They  took  their  departure  —  two  for  South  Adams 
and  two  across  the  Green  Mountains  —  in  the  midst  of 

•*  A  word  meaning  in  Worcester,  I  find,  "  to  spring  out  witk 
speed  and  suddenness." —  S.  II. 


1838.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  157 

the  rain.  There  was  one  of  the  graduates  with  hia 
betrothed,  and  his  brother-in-law  and  wife,  who  stayed 
during  the  day,  —  the  graduate  the  very  model  of  a 
country  schoolmaster  in  his  Sunday  clothes,  being  his 
Commencement  suit  of  black  broadcloth  and  pumps. 
He  is  engaged  as  assistant  teacher  of  the  academy  at 
Shelburne  Falls.  There  was  also  the  high  sheriff  of 
Berkshire,  Mr.  Twining,  with  a  bundle  of  writs  under 
his  arm,  and  some  of  them  peeping  out  of  his  pockets. 
Also  several  Trojan  men  and  women,  who  had  been  to 
Commencement.  Likewise  a  young  clergyman,  gradu 
ate  of  Brown  College,  and  student  of  the  Divinity  School 
at  Cambridge.  He  had  come  across  the  Hoosic,  or 
Green  Mountains,  about  eighteen  miles,  on  foot,  from 
Charlemont,  where  he  is  preaching,  and  had  been  to 
Commencement.  Knowing  little  of  men  and  matters, 
and  desiring  to  know  more,  he  was  very  free  in  making 
acquaintance  with  people,  but  could  not  do  it  hand 
somely.  A  singular  smile  broke  out  upon  his  face  on 
slight  provocation.  He  was  awkward  in  his  manners, 
yet  it  was  not  an  ungentlemanly  awkwardness,  —  in 
telligent  as  respects  book-learning,  but  much  deficient 
in  worldly  tact.  It  was  pleasant  to  observe  his  con 
sciousness  of  this  deficiency,  and  how  he  strove  to  rem 
edy  it  by  mixing  as  much  as  possible  with  people  and 
sitting  almost  all  day  in  the  bar-room  to  study  character. 
Sometimes  he  would  endeavor  to  contribute  his  share 
to  the  general  amusement,  —  as  by  growling  comically, 
to  provoke  and  mystify  a  dog;  and  by  some  bashful 
and  half-apropos  observations. 

In  the  afternoon  there  came  a  fresh  bevy  of  students 
onward  from    Williamstown ;    but   they    made    only  a 


158  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

transient  visit,  though  it  was  still  raining.  Tnese  were 
a  rough-hewn,  heavy  set  of  fellows,  from  the  hills  and 
woods  in  this  neighborhood,  —  great,  unpolished  bump 
kins,  who  had  grown  up  farmer-boys,  and  had  little  of 
the  literary  man,  save  green  spectacles  and  black  broad 
cloth  (which  all  of  them  had  not),  talking  with  a  broad 
accent,  and  laughing  clown-like,  while  sheepishness 
overspread  all,  together  with  a  vanity  at  being  students. 
One  of  the  party  was  six  feet  seven  inches  high,  and  all 
his  herculean  dimensions  were  in  proportion  ;  his  fea 
tures,  too,  were  cast  in  a  mould  suitable  to  his  stature. 
This  giant  was  not  ill-looking,  but  of  a  rather  intelli 
gent  aspect.  His  motions  were  devoid  of  grace,  but 
yet  had  a  rough  freedom,  appropriate  enough  to  such 
a  figure.  These  fellows  stayed  awhile,  talked  uncouth- 
(y  about  college  matters,  and  started  in  the  great  open 
wagon  which  had  brought  them  and  their  luggage 
nither.  We  had  a  fire  in  the  bar-room  almost  all  day, 
—  a  great,  blazing  fire,  —  and  it  was  pleasant  to  have 
this  day  of  bleak  November  weather,  and  cheerful  fire 
side  talk,  and  wet  garments  smoking  in  the  fireside 
heat,  still  in  the  summer-time.  Thus  the  day  wore  on 
with  a  sort  of  heavy,  lazy  pleasantness ;  and  night  set 
in,  still  stormy. 

In  the  morning  it  was  cloudy,  but  did  not  rain,  and  I 
went  with  the  little  clergyman  to  Hudson's  Cave.  The 
stream  which  they  call  the  North  Branch,  and  into  which 
Hudson's  Brook  empties,  was  much  swollen,  and  tum 
bled  and  dashed  and  whitened  over  the  rocks,  and 
formed  real  cascades  over  the  dams,  and  rushed  fast 
along  the  side  of  the  cliffs,  which  had  their  feet  in  it. 
Its  color  was  deep  brown,  owing  to  the  washing  of  the 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  159 

banks,  which  the  rain  had  poured  into  it.  Looking 
back,  we  could  see  a  cloud  on  Graylock  ;  but  on  other 
parts  of  Saddle  Mountain  there  were  spots  of  sunshine, 
gome  of  most  glorious  brightness,  contrasting  with  the 
general  gloom  of  the  sky  and  the  deep  shadow  which 
lay  on  the  earth. 

We  looked  at  the  spot  where  the  stream  makes  it? 
entrance  into  the  marble  cliff,  and  it  was  (this  morning, 
at  least)  the  most  striking  view  of  the  cave.  The  water 
dashed  down  in  a  misty  cascade,  through  what  looked 
like  the  portal  of  some  infernal  subterranean  structure ; 
and  far  within  the  portal  we  could  see  the  mist  and  the 
falling  water ;  and  it  looked  as  if,  but  for  these  obstruc 
tions  of  view,  we  might  have  had  a  deeper  insight  into 
a  gloomy  region. 

After  our  return,  the  little  minister  set  off  for  his 
eighteen  miles'  journey  across  the  mountain ;  and  I 
was  occupied  the  rest  of  the  forenoon  with  an  affair  of 
stealing,  —  a  woman  of  forty  or  upwards  being  accused 
of  stealing  a  needle-case  and  other  trifles  from  a  factory- 
girl  at  a  boarding-house.  She  came  here  to  take  pas 
sage  in  a  stage  ;  but  Putnam,  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
examined  her,  and  afterwards  ordered  her  to  be  searched 
by  Laura  and  Eliza,  the  chambermaid  and  table-wait 
er.  Hereupon  was  much  fun  and  some  sympathy. 
They  searched,  and  found  nothing  that  they  sought, 
though  she  gave  up  a  pair  of  pantalets,  which  she 
pretended  to  have  taken  by  mistake.  Afterwards,  she 
being  in  the  parlor,  I  went  in  ;  and  she  immediately 
began  to  talk  to  me,  giving  me  an  account  of  the  affair, 
speaking  with  the  bitterness  of  a  wronged  person,  with 
a  sparkling  eye,  yet  with  great  fluency  and  self-pos- 


160  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

session.  She  is  a  yellow,  thin,  and  battered  old  thing, 
yet  rather  country-lady-like  in  aspect  and  manners. 
I  heard  Eliza  telling  another  girl  about  it,  under 
my  window ;  and  she  seemed  to  think  that  the  poor 
woman's  reluctance  to  be  searched  arose  from  the  poor 
ness  of  her  wardrobe  and  of  the  contents  of  her  band 
box. 

At  parting,  Eliza  said  to  the  girl,  "  What  do  you 
think  I  heard  somebody  say  about  you  ?  That  it  was 
enough  to  make  anybody's  eyes  start  square  out  of  their 
head  to  look  at  such  red  cheeks  as  yours."  Where 
upon  the  girl  turned  off  the  compliment  with  a  laugh, 
and  took  her  leave. 

There  is  an  old  blind  dog,  recognizing  his  friends  by 
the  sense  of  smell.  I  observe  the  eager  awkwardness 
with  which  he  accomplishes  the  recognition,  his  care 
fulness  in  descending  steps,  and  generally  in  his  loco 
motion.  He  evidently  has  not  forgotten  that  he  once 
had  the  faculty  of  sight ;  for  he  turns  his  eyes  with 
earnestness  towards  those  who  attract  his  attention, 
though  the  orbs  are  plainly  sightless. 

Here  is  an  Englishman,  —  a  thorough-going  Tory 
and  Monarchist,  —  upholding  everything  English,  gov 
ernment,  people,  habits,  education,  manufactures,  modes 
of  living,  and  expressing  his  dislike  of  all  American 
isms,  —  and  this  in  a  quiet,  calm,  reasonable  way,  as 
if  it  were  quite  proper  to  live  in  a  country  and  draw 
his  subsistence  from  it,  and  openly  abuse  it.  He  im 
ports  his  clothes  from  England,  and  expatiates  on  the 
superiority  of  English  boots,  hats,  cravats,  &c.  He  is 
a  man  of  unmalleable  habits,  and  wears  his  dress  of  the 
same  fashion  as  that  of  twenty  years  ago. 


1838  J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  161 

August  IStk. — There  has  come  one  of  the  proprie 
tors,  or  superintendents,  of  a  caravan  of  animals, — • 
a  large,  portly-paunched,  dark-complexioned,  brandy- 
burnt,  heavy-faced  man  of  about  fifty  ;  with  a  diminu 
tive  nose  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  his  face,  —  thick 
lips  ;  nevertheless  he  has  the  air  of  a  man  who  has  seen 
much,  and  derived  such  experience  as  was  for  his  purpose. 
Also  it  is  the  air  of  a  man  not  in  a  subordinate  station, 
though  vulgar  and  coarse.  He  arrived  in  a  wagon, 
with  a  span  of  handsome  gray  horses,  and  ordered  din 
ner.  He  had  left  his  caravan  at  Worcester,  and  came 
from  thence  and  over  the  mountain  hither,  to  settle 
stopping-places  for  the  caravan.  The  nearest  place  to 
this,  I  believe,  was  Charlemont ;  the  penultimate  at 
Greenfield.  In  stopping  at  such  a  village  as  this,  they 
do  not  expect  much  profit,  if  any ;  but  would  be  content 
with  enough  to  pay  their  travelling  expenses,  while  they 
look  to  gather  gain  at  larger  places.  In  this  village,  it 
seems,  the  selectmen  had  resolved  not  to  license  any  pub 
lic  exhibition  of  the  kind  ;  and  it  was  interesting  to  at 
tend  to  the  consultations  whether  it  were  feasible  to  over 
come  the  objections,  and  what  might  be  the  best  means. 

Orrin  S and  the  chance  passers-by  took  part    in 

the  discussion.  The  scruple  is  that  the  factory-girls, 
having  ready  money  by  them,  spend  it  for  these  non 
senses,  quitting  their  work  ;  whereas,  were  it  a  mere 
farming-town,  the  caravan  would  take  little  in  propor 
tion  to  their  spendings.  The  opinion  generally  was  that 
the  license  could  not  be  obtained  ;  and  the  portly  man's 
face  grew  darker  and  downcast  at  the  prospect ;  and  he 
took  out  a  travelling-map,  and  looked  it  carefully  over, 
to  discover  some  other  station.  This  is  something  like 

K 


162  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833. 

the  planning  of  the  march  of  an  army.  It  was  finally 
resolved  to  enlist  the  influence  of  a  brother-in-law  of 
the  head  selectman,  and  try  to  gain  his  consent.  Where 
upon  the  caravan-man  and  the  brother-in-law  (who, 
being  a  tavern-keeper,  was  to  divide  the  custom  of  the 
caravan  people  with  this  house)  went  to  make  the  at 
tempt,  —  the  caravan-man  stalking  along  with  stiff,  awk 
ward  bulk  and  stature,  yet  preserving  a  respectability 
withal,  though  with  somewhat  of  the  blackguard.  Be 
fore  he  went,  he  offered  a  wager  of  "  a  drink  of  rum  to  a 
chaw  of  tobacco  "  that  he  did  not  succeed.  When  he 
came  back,  there  was  a  flush  in  his  face  and  a  sparkle 
in  his  eye  that  did  not  look  like  failure ;  but  I  know  not 
what  was  the  result.  He  took  a  glass  of  wine  with  the 
brother-in-law,  —  a  grave,  thin,  frosty-haired,  shrewd- 
looking  yeoman,  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  —  then  ordered 
his  horses,  paid  his  bill,  and  drove  off,  accompanied  still 
by  the  same  yeoman,  perhaps  to  get  the  permission  of 
the  other  two  selectmen.  If  he  does  not  get  a  license 
here,  he  will  try  at  Cheshire. 

A  fellow  appears  with  a  pink  guard-chain  and  two 
breast-pins  in  his  shirt,  —  one  a  masonic  one  of  gold, 
with  compass  and  square,  and  the  other  of  colored  glass, 
set  in  filigree  brass,  —  and  the  shirt  a  soiled  one. 

A  tendency  to  obesity  is  more  common  in  this  part 
of  the  country  than  I  have  noticed  it  elsewhere. 

August  13th.  —  I  drove  with  Orrin  S last  eve 
ning  to  an  old  farmer's  house  to  get  some  chickens. 
Entering  the  kitchen,  I  observed  a  fireplace  with  rough 
stone  jambs  and  back,  and  a  marble  hearth,  cracked, 
and  otherwise  contrasting  a  roughness  of  workmanship 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  163 

with  the  value  of  the  material.  There  was  a  clock 
without  a  case,  the  weights  being  visible,  and  the  pen 
dulum  swinging  in  air,  —  and  a  coffee-mill  fixed  against 
the  wall.  A  religious  newspaper  lay  on  the  mantel-piece. 
The  old  farmer  was  reluctant  to  go  after  the  fowls, 
declaring  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  them  in 
the  dark ;  but  Orrin  insisting,  he  lighted  a  lamp,  and 
we  all  went  together,  and  quickly  found  them,  roosted 
about  the  wood-pile ;  whereupon  Orrin  speedily  laid 
hands  on  five,  and  wrung  their  necks  in  a  twinkling, 
they  fluttering  long  after  they  should  have  been  dead. 
When  we  had  taken  our  departure,  Orrin  remarked, 
"  How  faint-hearted  these  old  fellows  are  !  "  and  it  was 
a  good  observation ;  for  it  was  the  farmer's  timorous 
age  that  made  him  doubt  the  practicability  of  catching 
the  chickens,  and  it  contrasted  well  with  the  persevering 
energy  of  the  middle-aged  Orrin.  But  Orrin  inquired, 
somewhat  dolefully,  whether  I  should  suppose  that  he 
himself  bewailed  the  advances  of  age.  It  is  a  grievous 
point  with  him. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  strange  fellow  in  the  bar 
room,  —  a  sort  of  mock  Methodist,  —  a  cattle-drover, 
who  had  stopped  here  for  the  night  with  two  cows  and  a 
Durham  bull.  All  his  talk  turned  upon  religion,  and 
he  would  ever  and  anon  burst  out  in  some  strain  of 
scriptural-styled  eloquence,  chanted  through  his  nose, 
like  an  exhortation  at  a  camp-meeting.  A  group  of 
Universalists  and  no-religionists  sat  around  him,  making 
him  their  butt,  and  holding  wild  argument  with  him ; 
and  he  strangely  mingled  humor  with  his  enthusiasm, 
and  enthusiasm  with  his  humor,  so  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  tell  whether  he  were  in  jest  or  earnest 


1G4  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

Probably  it  was  neither,  but  an  eccentricity,  an  almost 
monomania,  that  has  grown  upon  him,  —  perhaps  the  re 
sult  of  strong  religious  excitement.  And,  having  been 
a  backslider,  he  is  cursed  with  a  half-frenzied  humor. 
In  the  morning  he  talked  in  the  same  strain  at  break 
fast,  while  quaffing  fourteen  cups  of  tea,  —  Eliza,  all 
the  while,  as  she  supplied  him,  entreating  him  not  to 
drink  any  more.  After  breakfast  (it  being  the  Sab 
bath)  he  drove  his  two  cows  and  bull  past  the  s,toop, 
raising  his  staff,  and  running  after  them  with  strange, 
uncouth  gestures  ;  and  the  last  word  I  heard  from  him 
was  an  exhortation :  "  Gentlemen,  now  all  of  you 
take  your  Bibles,  and  meditate  on  divine  things,"  —  this 
being  uttered  with  raised  hands,  and  a  Methodistical 
tone,  intermingled,  as  was  his  expression,  with  some 
thing  humorous  ;  so  that,  to  the  last,  the  puzzle  was 
still  kept  up,  whether  he  was  an  enthusiast  or  a  jester. 
He  wore  a  suit  of  coarse  brown  cloth,  cut  in  rather  a 
Quaker  fashion  ;  and  he  had  a  large  nose,  and  his  face 
expressed  enthusiasm  and  humor,  —  a  sort  of  smile  and 
twinkle  of  the  eye,  with  wildness.  He  is  excellent  at  a 
bargain ;  and  if,  in  the  midst  of  his  ghostly  exhortation, 
the  talk  were  turned  on  cattle,  he  eagerly  seized  the 
topic  and  expatiated  on  it. 

While  this  fellow  was  enumerating  the  Universalists 
in  neighboring  towns  who  had  turned  from  their  errors 
on  their  death-beds,  —  some  one  exclaimed,  "  John 
Hodges  !  why,  he  is  n't  dead,  —  he  's  alive  and  well." 
Whereat  there  was  a  roar  of  laughter.  While  holding 
an  argument  at  table,  I  heard  him  mutter  to  himself  at 
something  that  his  adversary  said ;  and  though  I  could 
not  distinguish  what  it  was,  the  tone  did  more  to  con- 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  105 

vince  me  of  some  degree  of  earnestness  than  aught  be 
side.  This  character  might  be  wrought  into  a  strange 
portrait  of  something  sad,  terrific,  and  laughable. 

The  Sabbath  wore  away  lazily,  and  therefore  wick 
edly.  The  heavy  caravan-man  inquired  for  some  book 
of  light  reading,  and,  having  obtained  an  old  volume  of 
a  literary  paper,  betook  himself  to  the  seat  of  his  wagon, 
to  read.  At  other  times  he  smoked,  and  talked  sensi 
bly  enough  with  anybody  that  offered.  He  is  a  man 
of  sense,  though  not  quick,  and  seems  to  be  a  fair 
man. 

When  he  walks,  he  puts  the  thumb  of  each  hand  into 
the  armhole  of  his  waistcoat,  and  moves  along  stiffly, 
with  a  knock-kneed  gait.  His  talk  was  chiefly  of  hotels, 
and  such  matters  as  a  man,  always  travelling,  with 
out  any  purpose  of  observation  for  mental  improvement, 
would  be  interested  in.  He  spoke  of  his  life  as  a  hard 
one. 

There  was  a  Methodist  quarterly  meeting  here,  and 
a  love-feast. 

There  is  a  fellow  hereabout  who  refuses  to  pay  six 
dollars  for  the  coffin  in  which  his  wife  was  buried. 
She  died  about  six  months  since,  and  I  believe  he  is 
already  engaged  to  another.  He  is  young  and  rather 
comely,  but  has  not  a  straightforward  look. 

One  man  plods  along,  looking  always  on  the  ground, 
without  ever  lifting  his  eyes  to  the  mountain  scenery, 
and  forest,  and  clouds,  above  and  around  him.  Another 
walks  the  street  with*  a  quick,  prying  eye,  and  sharp 
face,  —  the  most  expressive  possible  of  one  on  the  look 
out  for  gain,  —  of  the  most  disagreeable  class  of 
Yankees.  There  is  also  a  sour-looking,  unwholesome 


166  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  fl838. 

boy,  the  son  of  this  man,  whose  voice  is  querulous 
and  ill-natured,  precisely  suited  to  his  aspect.  So  is  his 
character. 

We  have  another  with  Indian  blood  in  him,  and  the 
straight,  black  hair,  —  something  of  the  tawny  skin 
and  the  quick,  shining  eye  of  the  Indian.  He  seems 
reserved,  but  is  not  ill-natured  when  spoken  to.  There 
is  so  much  of  the  white  in  him,  that  he  gives  the  im 
pression  of  belonging  to  a  civilized  race,  which  causes 
the  more  strange  sensation  on  discovering  that  he  has 
a  wild  lineage. 

August  22d.  —  I  walked  out  into  what  is  called  the 
Notch  this  forenoon,  between  Saddle  Mountain  and 
another.  There  are  good  farms  in  this  Notch,  although 
the  ground  is  considerably  elevated,  —  this  morning, 
indeed,  above  the  clouds ;  for  I  penetrated  through 
one  in  reaching  the  higher  region,  although  I  found 
sunshine  there.  Graylock  was  hidden  in  clouds,  and 
the  rest  of  Saddle  Mountain  had  one  partially  wreathed 
about  it;  but  it  was  withdrawn  before  long.  It  was 
very  beautiful  cloud-scenery.  The  clouds  lay  on  the 
breast  of  the  mountain,  dense,  white,  well-defined,  and 
some  of  them  were  in  such  close  vicinity  that  it  seemed 
as  if  I  could  infold  myself  in  them ;  while  others,  be 
longing  to  the  same  fleet,  were  floating  through  the  blue 
sky  above.  I  had  a  view  of  Williamstown  at  the  dis 
tance  of  a  few  miles,  —  two  or  three,  perhaps,  —  a  white 
village  and  steeple  in  a  gradual  hollow,  with  high 
mountainous  swells  heaving  themselves  up,  like  im 
mense,  subsiding  waves,  far  and  wide  around  it.  On 
these  high  mountain-waves  rested  the  white  summer 


1338.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  167 

clouds,  or  they  rested  as  still  in  the  air  above  ;  and 
they  were  formed  into  such  fantastic  shapes  that  they 
gave  the  strongest  possible  impression  of  being  con 
founded  or  intermixed  with  the  sky.  It  was  like  a 
day-dream  to  look  at  it ;  and  the  students  ought  to  be 
day-dreamers,  all  of  them,  —  when  cloud-land  is  one 
and  the  same  thing  with  the  substantial  earth.  By 
degrees  all  these  clouds  flitted  away,  and  the  sultry 
summer  sun  burned  on  hill  and  valley.  As  I  was 
walking  home,  an  old  man  came  down  the  mountain- 
path  behind  me  in  a  wagon,  and  gave  me  a  drive  to 
the  village.  Visitors  being  few  in  the  Notch,  the 
women  and  girls  looked  from  the  windows  after  me ; 
the  men  nodded  and  greeted  me  with  a  look  of  curios 
ity  ;  and  two  little  girls  whom  I  met,  bearing  tin  pails, 
whispered  one  another  and  smiled. 

North  Adams,  August  23d.  —  The  county  commis 
sioners  held  a  court  in  the  bar-room  yesterday  after 
noon,  for  the  purpose  of  letting  out  the  making  of  the 
new  road  over  the  mountain.  The  commissioners  sat 
together  in  attitudes  of  some  dignity,  with  one  leg  laid 
across  another;  and  the  people,  to  the  number  of  twenty 
or  thirty,  sat  round  about  with  their  hats  on,  in  their 
shirt-sleeves,  with  but  little,  yet  with  some  formality. 
Several  had  come  from  a  distance  to  bid  for  the  job. 
They  sat  with  whips  in  their  hands.  The  first  bid  was 
three  dollars,  —  then  there  was  a  long  silence,  —  then 
a  bid  of  two  dollars  eighty-five  cents,  and  finally  it 
was  knocked  down  at  two  eighteen,  per  rod.  A  dispo 
sition  to  bid  was  evidenced  in  one  man  by  his  joking 
on  the  bid  of  another. 


108  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

After  supper,  as  the  sun  was  setting,  a  man  passed  by 
the  door  with  a  hand-organ,  connected  with  which  was 
a  row  of  figures,  such  as  dancers,  pirouetting  and  turn 
ing,  a  lady  playing  on  a  piano,  soldiers,  a  negro  wench 
(lancing,  and  opening  and  shutting  a  huge  red  mouth,  — • 
all  these  keeping  time  to  the  lively  or  slow  tunes  of  the 
organ.  The  man  had  a  pleasant,  but  sly,  dark  face  ;  he 
carried  his  whole  establishment  on  his  shoulder,  it  being 
fastened  to  a  staff  which  he  rested  on  the  ground  when 
he  performed.  A  little  crowd  of  people  gathered  about 
him  on  the  stoop,  peeping  over  each  other's  heads  with 
huge  admiration,  —  fat  Otis  Hodge,  and  the  tall  stage- 
driver,  and  the  little  boys,  all  declaring  that  it  was  the 
masterpiece  of  sights.  Some  few  coppers  did  the  man 
obtain,  as  well  as  much  praise.  He  had  come  over  the 
high,  solitary  mountain,  where  for  miles  there  could 
hardly  be  a  soul  to  hear  his  music. 

In  the  evening,  a  portly  old  commissioner,  a  cheerful 
man  enough,  was  sitting  reading  the  newspaper  in  the 
parlor,  holding  the  candle  between  the  newspaper  and 
his  eyes,  —  its  rays  glittering  on  his  silver-bowed  spec 
tacles  and  silvery  hair.  A  pensive  mood  of  age  had 
come  upon  him,  and  sometimes  he  heaved  a  long  sigh, 
while  he  turned  and  re-turned  the  paper,  and  folded  it 
for  convenient  reading.  By  and  by  a  gentleman  came 
to  see  him,  and  he  talked  with  him  cheerfully. 

The  fat  old  squire,  whom  I  have  mentioned  more  than 
once,  is  an  odd  figure,  with  his  bluff,  red  face  —  coarse 
ly  red  —  set  in  silver  hair,  —  his  clumsy  legs,  which 
he  moves  in  a  strange  straddle,  using,  I  believe,  a 
broomstick  for  a  staff.  The  breadth  of  back  of  these 
fat  men  is  truly  a  wonder. 


L33SJ  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  169 

A  decent  man,  at  table  the  other  day,  took  the  only 
remaining  potato  out  of  the  dish,  on  the  end  of  his 
knife,  and  offered  his  friend  half  of  it ! 

The  mountains  look  much  larger  and  more  majestic 
sometimes  than  at  others,  —  partly  because  the  mind 
may  be  variously  disposed,  so  as  to  comprehend  them 
more  or  less,  and  partly  that  an  imperceptible  (or  almost 
so)  haze  adds  a  great  deal  to  the  effect.  Saddleback 
often  looks  a  huge,  black  mass,  —  black-green,  or  black- 
blue. 

The  cave  makes  a  fresh  impression  upon  me  every 
time  I  visit  it,  —  so  deep,  so  irregular,  so  gloomy,  so 
stern,  —  part  of  its  walls  the  pure  white  of  the  marble, 
—  others  covered  with  a  gray  decomposition  and  with 
spots  of  moss,  and  with  brake  growing  where  there  is  a 
handful  of  earth.  I  stand  and  look  into  its  depths  at 
various  points,  and  hear  the  roar  of  the  stream  re-echo 
ing  up.  It  is  like  a  heart  that  has  been  rent  asunder  by 
a  torrent  of  passion,  which  has  raged  and  foamed,  and 
left  its  ineffaceable  traces ;  though  now  there  is  but  a 
little  rill  of  feeling  at  the  bottom. 

In  parts,  trees  have  fallen  across  the  fissure,  —  trees 
with  large  trunks. 

I  bathed  in  the  stream  in  this  old,  secluded  spot, 
which  I  frequent  for  that  purpose.  To  reach  it,  I  cross 
one  branch  of  the  stream  on  stones,  and  then  pass  to 
the  other  side  of  a  little  island,  overgrown  with  trees 
and  underbrush.  Where  I  bathe,  the  stream  has  partially 
dammed  itself  up  by  sweeping  together  tree-trunks  and 
slabs  and  branches,  and  a  thousand  things  that  have 
come  down  its  current  for  years  perhaps ;  so  that  there 
is  a  deep  pool,  full  of  eddies  and  little  whirlpools  which 


170  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

would  carry  me  away,  did  I  not  take  hold  of  the  stem 
of  a  small  tree  that  lies  opportunely  transversely  across 
the  water.  The  bottom  is  uneven,  with  rocks  of  various 
size,  against  which  it  is  difficult  to  keep  from  stumbling, 
so  rapid  is  the  stream.  Sometimes  it  bears  along 
branches  and  strips  of  bark,  —  sometimes  a  green  leaf, 
or  perchance  a  dry  one,  —  occasionally  overwhelmed 
by  the  eddies  and  borne  deep  under  water,  then  rush 
ing  atop  the  waves. 

The  forest,  bordering  the  stream,  produces  its  effect 
by  a  complexity  of  causes,  —  the  old  and  stern  trees, 
with  stately  trunks  and  dark  foliage,  —  as  the  almost 
black  pines,  -. —  the  young  trees,  with  lightsome  green 
foliage, — as  sapling  oaks,  maples  and  poplars,  —  then 
the  old,  decayed  trunks,  that  are  seen  lying  here  and 
there,  all  mouldered,  so  that  the  foot  would  sink  into 
them.  The  sunshine,  falling  capriciously  on  a  casual 
branch  considerably  within  the  forest  verge,  while  it 
leaves  nearer  trees  in  shadow,  leads  the  imagination 
into  the  depths.  But  it  soon  becomes  bewildered  there. 
Rocks  strewn  about,  half  hidden  in  the  fallen  leaves, 
must  not  be  overlooked. 

August  2Qth.  —  A  funeral  last  evening,  nearly  at 
sunset,  —  a  coffin  of  a  boy  about  ten  years  old  laid  on  a 
one-horse  wagon  among  some  straw,  —  two  or  three 
barouches  and  wagons  following.  As  the  funeral  passed 
through  the  village  street,  a  few  men  formed  a  short 
procession  in  front  of  the  coffin,  among  whom  were 

Orrin    S and   I.      The   burial-ground    (there    are 

two  in  the  town)  is  on  the  sides  and  summit  of  a  round 
hill,  which  is  planted  with  cypress  and  other  trees, 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  171 

among  which  the  white  marble  gravestones  show  pleas 
antly.  The  grave  was  dug  on  the  steep  slope  of  a  hill ; 
and  the  grave-digger  was  waiting  there,  and  two  or 
three  other  shirt-sleeved  yeomen,  leaning  against  the 
trees. 

Orrin  S ,  a  wanton  and  mirth-making  middle- 
aged  man,  who  would  not  seem  to  have  much  domestic 
feeling,  took  a  chief  part  on  the  occasion,  assisting  in 
taking  the  coffin  from  the  wagon  and  in  lowering  it 
into  the  grave.  There  being  some  superfluous  earth  at 
the  bottom  of  the  grave,  the  coffin  was  drawn  up  again, 
after  being  once  buried,  and  the  obstacle  removed  with 
a  hoe  ;  then  it  was  lowered  again  for  the  last  time. 
While  this  was  going  on,  the  father  and  mother  stood 
weeping  at  the  upper  end  of  the  grave,  at  the  head  of 
the  little  procession,  —  the  mother  sobbing  with  stifled 
violence,  and  peeping  forth  to  discover  why  the  coffin 
was  drawn  up  again.  It  being  fitted  in  its  place,  Orrin 

S strewed  some  straw  upon  it,  —  this  being  the 

custom  here,  because  "  the  clods  on  the  coffin-lid  have 
an  ugly  sound."  Then  the  Baptist  minister,  having 
first  whispered  to  the  father,  removed  his  hat,  the 
spectators  all  doing  the  same,  and  thanked  them  "  in 
the  name  of  these  mourners,  for  this  last  act  of  kindness 
to  them." 

In  all  these  rites  Orrin  S bore  the  chief  part  with 

real  feeling  and  sadly  decorous  demeanor.  After  the 
funeral,  I  took  a  walk  on  the  "Williamstown  road,  towards 
the  west.  There  had  been  a  heavy  shower  in  the  after 
noon,  and  clouds  were  brilliant  all  over  the  sky,  around 
Graylock  and  everywhere  else.  Those  over  the  hills 
of  the  west  were  the  most  splendid  in  purple  and  gold, 


172  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

and,  there  being  a  haze,  it  added  immensely  to  their 
majesty  and  dusky  magnificence. 

This  morning  I  walked  a  little  way  along  the  moun 
tain  road,  and  stood  awhile  in  the  shadow  of  some  oak 
and  chestnut  trees,  —  it  being  a  warm,  bright,  sunshiny 
morning.  The  shades  lay  long  from  trees  and  other 
objects,  as  at  sunset,  but  how  different  this  cheerful  and 
light  radiance  from  the  mild  repose  of  sunset !  Locusts, 
crickets,  and  other  insects  were  making  music.  Cattle 
were  feeding  briskly,  with  morning  appetites.  The 
wakeful  voices  of  children  were  heard  in  a  neighboring 
hollow.  The  dew  damped  the  road,  and  formed  many- 
colored  drops  in  the  grass.  In  short,  the  world  was  not 
weary  with  a  long,  sultry  day,  but  in  a  fresh,  recruited 
state,  fit  to  carry  it  through  such  a  day. 

A  rough-looking,  sunburnt,  soiled-shirted,  odd,  middle- 
aged  little  man  came  to  the  house  a  day  or  two  ago, 
seeking  work.  He  had  come  from  Ohio,  and  was  re 
turning  to  his  native  place,  somewhere  in  New  England, 
stopping  occasionally  to  earn  money  to  pay  his  way. 
There  was  something  rather  ludicrous  in  his  physiog 
nomy  and  aspect.  He  was  very  free  to  talk  with  all  and 
sundry.  He  made  a  long  eulogy  on  his  dog  Tiger, 
yesterday,  insisting  on  his  good  moral  character,  his 
not  being  quarrelsome,  his  docility,  and  all  other  ex 
cellent  qualities  that  a  huge,  strong,  fierce  mastiff  could 
have.  Tiger  is  the  bully  of  the  village,  and  keeps  all 
the  other  dogs  in  awe.  His  aspect  is  very  spirited, 
trotting  massively  along,  with  his  tail  elevated  and  his 
head  likewise.  "  When  he  sees  a  dog  that 's  anything 
near  his  size,  he 's  apt  to  growl  a  little,"  —  Tiger  had 
the  marks  of  a  battle  on  him,  -•  - "  yet  he  's  a  good  dog." 


A838.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  173 

Friday,  August  31st.  —  A  drive  on  Tuesday  to  Shel- 
burne  Falls,  twenty-two  miles  or  thereabouts  distant. 
Started  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  a  wagon  with  Mr. 
Leach  and  Mr.  Birch.  Our  road  lay  over  the  Green 
Mountains,  the  long  ridge  of  which  was  made  awful  by 
a  dark,  heavy,  threatening  cloud,  apparently  rolled  and 
condensed  along  the  whole  summit.  As  we  ascended 
the  zigzag  road,  we  looked  behind,  at  every  opening  in 
the  forest,  and  beheld  a  wide  landscape  of  mountain- 
swells  and  valleys  intermixed,  and  old  Graylock  and  the 
whole  of  Saddleback.  Over  the  wide  scene  there  was 
a  general  gloom ;  but  there  was  a  continual  vicissitude 
of  bright  sunshine  flitting  over  it,  now  resting  for  a 
brief  space  on  portions  of  the  heights,  now  flooding 
the  valleys  with  green  brightness,  now  making  out  dis 
tinctly  each  dwelling,  and  the  hotels,  and  then  two  small 
brick  churches  of  the  distant  village,  denoting  its  pros 
perity,  while  all  around  seemed  under  adverse  fortunes. 
But  we,  who  stood  so  elevated  above  mortal  things,  and 
saw  so  wide  and  far,  could  see  the  sunshine  of  prosper 
ity  departing  from  one  spot  and  rolling  towards  another, 
so  that  we  could  not  think  it  much  matter  which  spot 
were  sunny  or  gloomy  at  any  one  moment. 

The  top  of  this  Hoosic  Mountain  is  a  long  ridge, 
marked  on  the  county  map  as  two  thousand  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  sea ;  on  this  summit  is  a 
valley,  not  very  deep,  but  one  or  two  miles  wide,  in 
which  is  the  town  of  L .  Here  there  are  respecta 
ble  farmers,  though  it  is  a  rough,  and  must  be  a  bleak 
place.  The  first  house,  after  reaching  the  summit,  is  a 
small,  homely  tavern.  We  left  our  Loise  in  the  shed, 
and,  entering  the  little  unpainted  bar-room,  we  heard  a 


174  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

voice,  in  a  strange,  outlandish  accent,  exclaiming  t;  Dio 
rama."  It  was  an  old  man,  with  a  full,  gray-bearded 
countenance,  and  Mr.  Leach  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  here  's  the 
old  Dutchman  again!"  And  he  answered,  "Yes,  Cap 
tain,  here 's  the  old  Dutchman,"  —  though,  by  the  way,  he 
is  a  German,  arid  travels  the  country  with  this  diorama 
in  a  wagon,  and  had  recently  been  at  South  Adams,  and 
was  now  returning  from  Saratoga  Springs.  We  looked 
through  the  glass  orifice  of  his  machine,  while  he  exhib 
ited  a  succession  of  the  very  worst  scratches  and  daub- 
ings  that  can  be  imagined,  —  worn  out,  too,  and  full  of 
cracks  and  wrinkles,  dimmed  with  tobacco  smoke,  and 
every  other  wise  dilapidated.  There  were  none  in  a 
later  fashion  than  thirty  years  since,  except  some  figures 
that  had  been  cut  from  tailors'  show-bills.  There  were 
views  of  cities  and  edifices  in  Europe,  of  Napoleon's 
battles  and  Nelson's  sea-fights,  in  the  midst  of  which 
would  be  seen  a  gigantic,  brown,  hairy  hand  (the 
Hand  of  Destiny)  pointing  at  the  principal  points  of  the 
conflict,  while  the  old  Dutchman  explained.  He  gave 
a  good  deal  of  dramatic  effect  to  his  descriptions,  but 
his  accent  and  intonation  cannot  be  written.  He 
seemed  to  take  interest  and  pride  in  his  exhibition ;  yet 
when  the  utter  and  ludicrous  miserability  thereof  made 
us  laugh,  he  joined  in  the  joke  very  readily.  When  the 
last  picture  had  been  shown,  he  caused  a  country  boor, 
who  stood  gaping  beside  the  machine,  to  put  his  head 
within  it,  and  thrust  out  his  tongue.  The  head  becom 
ing  gigantic,  a  singular  effect  was  produced. 

The  old  Dutchman's  exhibition  being  over,  a  great 
dog,  apparently  an  elderly  dog,  suddenly  made  himself 
the  object  of  notice,  evidently  in  rivalship  of  the  Dutch- 


1838."]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  175 

man.  He  had  seemed  to  be  a  good-natured,  quiet  kind 
of  dog,  offering  his  head  to  be  patted  by  those  who  were 
kindly  disposed  towards  him.  This  great,  old  dog,  un 
expectedly,  and  of  his  own  motion,  began  to  run  round 
after  his  not  very  long  tail  with  the  utmost  eagerness; 
and,  catching  hold  of  it,  he  growled  furiously  at  it,  and 
still  continued  to  circle  round,  growling  and  snarling 
with  increasing  rage,  as  if  one  half  of  his  body  were  at 
deadly  enmity  with  the  other.  Faster  and  faster  went 
he,  round  and  roundabout,  growing  still  fiercer,  till  at 
last  he  ceased  in  a  state  of  utter  exhaustion ;  but  no 
sooner  had  his  exhibition  finished  than  he  became  the 
same  mild,  quiet,  sensible  old  dog  as  before ;  and  no 
one  could  have  suspected  him  of  such  nonsense  as  get 
ting  enraged  with  his  own  tail.  He  was  first  taught 
this  trick  by  attaching  a  bell  to  the  end  of  his  tail; 
but  he  now  commences  entirely  of  his  own  accord, 
and  I  really  believe  he  feels  vain  at  the  attention  he 
excites. 

It  was  chill  and  bleak  on  the  mountain-top,  and  a  fire 
was  burning  in  the  bar-room.     The  old  Dutchman  be 
stowed  on  everybody  the  title  of  "  Captain,"  perhaps 
because  such  a  title  has  a  great  chance  of  suiting  an 
American. 

Leaving  the  tavern,  we  drove  a  mile  or  two  farther 
to  the  eastern  brow  of  the  mountain,  whence  we  had  a 
view,  over  the  tops  of  a  multitude  of  heights,  into  the 
intersecting  valleys  down  which  we  were  to  plunge,  — 
and  beyond  them  the  blue  and  indistinctive  scene  ex 
tended  to  the  east  and  north  for  at  least  sixty  miles. 
Beyond  the  hills  it  looked  almost  as  if  the  blue  ocean 
might  be  seen.  Monadnock  was  visible,  like  a  sapphire 


176  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833 

cloud  against  the  sky.  Descending,  we  by  and  by  got 
a  view  of  the  Deerfield  River,  which  makes  a  blind  in 
its  course  from  about  north  and  south  to  about  east  and 
west,  coming  out  from  one  defile  among  the  mountains, 
and  flowing  through  another.  The  scenery  -on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Green  Mountains  is  incomparably 
more  striking  than  on  the  western,  where  the  long 
swells  and  ridges  have  a  flatness  of  effect ;  and  even 
Graylock  heaves  itself  so  gradually  that  it  does  not 
much  strike  the  beholder.  But  on  the  eastern  part, 
peaks  one  or  two  thousand  feet  high  rush  up  on  either 
bank  of  the  river  in  ranges,  thrusting  out  their  shoul 
ders  side  by  side.  They  are  almost  precipitous,  clothed 
in  woods,  through  which  the  naked  rock  pushes  itself 
forth  to  view.  Sometimes  the  peak  is  bald,  while  the 
forest  wraps  the  body  of  the  hill,  and  the  baldness  gives 
it  an  indescribably  stern  effect.  Sometimes  the  preci 
pice  rises  with  abruptness  from  the  immediate  side  of 
the  river;  sometimes  there  is  a  cultivated  valley  on 
either  side,  —  cultivated  long,  and  with  all  the  smooth 
ness  and  antique  rurality  of  a  farm  near  cities,  —  this 
gentle  picture  strongly  set  off  by  the  wild  mountain- 
frame  around  it.  Often  it  would  seem  a  wonder  how 
our  road  was  to  continue,  the  mountains  rose  so  ab 
ruptly  on  either  side,  and  stood,  so  direct  a  wall,  across 
our  onward  course ;  while,  looking  behind,  it  would  be 
an  equal  mystery  how  we  had  gotten  thither,  through 
the  huge  base  of  the  mountain,  that  seemed  to  have 
reared  itself  erect  after  our  passage.  But,  passing  on 
ward,  a  narrow  defile  would  give  us  egress  into  a  scene 
where  new  mountains  would  still  appear  to  bar  us. 
Our  road  was  much  of  it  level ;  but  scooped  out  among 


IS33.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  177 

mountains.  The  river  was  a  brawling  stream,  shallow, 
and  roughened  by  rocks  ;  now  we  drove  on  a  plane  with 
it ;  now  there  was  a  sheer  descent  down  from  the  road 
side  upon  it,  often  unguarded  by  any  kind  of  fence, 
except  by  the  trees  that  contrived  to  grow  on  the  head 
long  interval.  Between  the  mountains  there  were 
gorges,  that  led  the  imaginati  »n  away  into  new  scenes 
of  wildness.  I  have  never  driven  through  such  roman 
tic  scenery,  where  there  was  such  variety  and  boldness 
of  mountain  shapes  as  this ;  and  though  it  was  a  broad 
sunny  day,  the  mountains  diversified  the  view  with  sun 
shine  and  shadow,  and  glory  and  gloom. 

In  Charlemont  (I  think),  after  passing  a  bridge,  we 
saw  a  very  curious  rock  on  the  shore  of  the  river,  about 
twenty  feet  from  the  roadside.  Clambering  down  the 
bank,  we  found  it  a  complete  arch,  hollowed  out  of  the 
solid  rock,  and  as  high  as  the  arched  entrance  of  an  an 
cient  church,  which  it  might  be  taken  to  be,  though 
considerably  dilapidated  and  weather-worn.  The  water 
flows  through  it,  though  the  rock  afforded  standing  room, 
beside  the  pillars.  It  was  really  like  the  archway  of  an 
enchanted  palace,  all  of  which  has  vanished  except  the 
entrance,  —  now  only  into  nothingness  and  empty  space. 
We  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  arch,  in  which  the  traces 
of  water  having  eddied  are  very  perceptible.  This 
curiosity  occurs  in  a  wild  part  of  the  river's  course,  and 
in  a  solitude  of  mountains. 

Farther  down,  the  river  becoming  deeper,  broader, 
and  more  placid,  little  boats  were  seen  moored  along  it, 
for  the  convenience  of  crossing.  Sometimes,  too,  the 
well-beaten  track  of  wheels  and  hoofs  ssed  down  to 
its  verge,  then  vanished,  and  appeared  on  the  other  side, 

8*  L 


178  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838, 

indicating  a  ford.  We  saw  one  house,  pretty,  small, 
with  green  blinds,  and  much  quietness  in  its  environ 
ments,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  with  a  flat-bot 
tomed  boat  for  communication.  It  was  a  pleasant  idea 
that  the  world  was  kept  off  by  the  river. 

Proceeding  onward,  we  reached  Shelburne  Falls. 
Here  the  river,  in  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards, 
makes  a  descent  of  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  o\  er 
a  prodigious  bed  of  rock.  Formerly  it  doubtless  flowed 
unbroken  over  the  rock,  merely  creating  a  rapid ;  and 
traces  of  water  having  raged  over  it  are  visible  in  por 
tions  of  the  rock  that  now  lie  high  and  dry.  At  present 
the  river  roars  through  a  channel  which  it  has  worn  in 
the  stone,  leaping  in  two  or  three  distinct  falls,  and 
rushing  downward,  as  from  flight  to  flight  of  a  broken 
and  irregular  staircase.  The  mist  rises  from  the  high 
est  of  these  cataracts,  and  forms  a  pleasant  object  in  the 
sunshine.  The  best  view,  I  think,  is  to  stand  on  the 
verge  of  the  upper  and  largest  fall,  and  look  down 
through  the  whole  rapid  descent  of  the  river,  as  it  hur 
ries,  foaming,  through  its  rock-worn  path,  —  the  rocks 
seeming  to  have  been  hewn  away,  as  when  mortals 
make  a  road.  These  falls  are  the  largest  in  this  State, 
and  have  a  very  peculiar  character.  It  seems  as  if 
water  had  had  more  power  at  some  former  period  than 
now,  to  hew  and  tear  its  passage  through  such  an  im 
mense  ledge  of  rock  as  here  withstood  it.  In  this  crag, 
or  parts  of  it,  now  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  water,  it 
has  worn  what  are  called  pot-holes,  —  being  circular  hol 
lows  in  the  rock,  where  for  ages  stones  have  been 
whirled  round  and  round  by  the  eddies  of  the  water  ; 
BO  that  the  interior  of  the  pot  is  as  circular  and  as 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  179 

smooth  as  it  could  have  been  made  by  art.  Often  the 
mouth  of  the  pot  is  the  narrowest  part,  the  inner  space 
being  deeply  scooped  out.  Water  is  contained  in  most 
of  these  pot-holes,  sometimes  so  deep  that  a  man  might 
drown  himself  therein,  and  lie  undetected  at  the  bot 
tom.  Some  of  them  are  of  a  convenient  size  for  cook 
ing,  which  might  be  practicable  by  putting  in  hot 
stones. 

The  tavern  at  Shelburne  Falls  was  about  the  worst  I 
ever  saw,  —  there  being  hardly  anything  to  eat,  at  least 
nothing  of  the  meat  kind.  There  was  a  party  of  stu 
dents  from  the  Rensselaer  school  at  Troy,  who  had 
spent  the  night  there,  a  set  of  rough  urchins  from  six 
teen  to  twenty  years  old,  accompanied  by  the  wagon- 
driver,  a  short,  stubbed  little  fellow,  who  walked  about 
with  great  independence,  thrusting  his  hands  into  his 
breeches-pockets,  beneath  his  frock.  The  queerness  was, 
such  a  figure  being  associated  with  classic  youth.  They 
were  on  an  excursion  which  is  yearly  made  from  that 
school  in  search  of  minerals.  They  seemed  in  rather 
better  moral  habits  than  students  used  to  be,  but  wild- 
ppirited,  rude,  and  unpolished,  somewhat  like  German 
students,  which  resemblance  one  or  two  of  them  in 
creased  by  smoking  pipes.  In  the  morning,  my  break 
fast  being  set  in  a  corner  of  the  same  room  with  them,  I 
saw  their  breakfast-table,  with  a  huge  wash-bowl  of 
milk  in  the  centre,  and  a  basin  and  spoon  placed  for 
each  guest. 

In  the  bar-room  of  this  tavern  were  posted  up  written 
advertisements,  the  smoked  chimney-piece  being  thus 
made  to  serve  for  a  newspaper :  "  I  have  rye  for  sale," 
"  I  have  a  fine  mare  colt,"  &c.  There  was  one  quaint- 


180  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  fl838 

ly  expressed  advertisement  of  a  horse  that  had  strayed 
or  been  stolen  from  a  pasture. 

The  students,  from  year  to  year,  have  been  in  search 
of  a  particular  rock,  somewhere  on  the  mountains  in 
the  vicinity  of  Shelburne  Falls,  which  is  supposed  to 
contain  some  valuable  ore  ;  but  they  cannot  find  it.  One 
man  in  the  bar-room  observed  that  it  must  be  enchant 
ed  ;  and  spoke  of  a  tinker,  during  the  Revolutionary 
war,  who  met  with  a  somewhat  similar  instance.  Roam 
ing  along  the  Hudson  River,  he  came  to  a  precipice 
which  had  some  bunches  of  singular  appearance  em 
bossed  upon  it.  He  knocked  off  one  of  the  bunches, 
and  carrying  it  home,  or  to  a  camp,  or  wherever  he 
lived,  he  put  it  on  the  fire,  and  melted  it  down  into 
clear  lead.  He  sought  for  the  spot  again  and  again,  but 
could  never  find  it. 

Mr.  Leach's  brother  is  a  student  at  Shelburne  Falls. 
He  is  about  thirty-five  years  old,  and  married  ;  and  at 
this  mature  age  he  is  studying  for  the  ministry,  and 
will  not  finish  his  course  for  two  or  three  years.  He 
was  bred  a  farmer,  but  has  sold  his  farm,  and  invested 
the  money,  and  supports  himself  and  wife  by  dentistry 
during  his  studies.  Many  of  the  academy  students  are 
men  grown,  and  some,  they  say,  well  towards  forty 
years  old.  Methinks  this  is  characteristic  of  American 
life,  —  these  rough,  weather-beaten,  hard-handed,  farm 
er-bred  students.  In  nine  case's  out  of  ten  they  are 
incapable  of  any  effectual  cultivation  ;  for  men  of  ripe 
years,  if  they  have  any  pith  in  them,  will  have  long 
ago  got  beyond  academy  or  even  college  instruction.  I 
suspect  nothing  better  than  a  very  wretched  smattering 
is  to  be  obtained  in  these  country  academies. 


1338.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  181 

Mr.  Jenkins,  an  instructor  at  Amherst,  speaking  of 
the  western  mounds,  expressed  an  opinion  that  they 
were  of  the  same  nature  and  origin  as  some  small  cir 
cular  hills  which  are  of  very  frequent  occurrence  here 
in  North  Adams.  The  burial-ground  is  on  one  of  them, 
And  there  is  another,  on  the  summit  of  which  appears  a 
single  tombstone,  as  if  there  were  something  natural  in 
making  these  hills  the  repositories  of  the  dead.  A 

question  of  old  H led  to  Mr.  Jenkins's  dissertation 

on  this  subject,  to  the  great  contentment  of  a  large  circle 
round  the  bar-room  fireside  on  the  last  rainy  day. 

A  tailor  is  detected  by  Mr.  Leach,  because  his  coat 
had  not  a  single  wrinkle  in  it.  I  saw  him  exhibiting 
patterns  of  fashions  to  Randall,  the  village  tailor.  Mr. 
Leach  has  much  tact  in  finding  out  the  professions  of 
people.  He  found  out  a  blacksmith,  because  his  rigbt 
hand  was  much  larger  than  the  other. 

A  man  getting  subscriptions  for  a  religious  and  abo 
lition  newspaper  in  New  York, —  somewhat  elderly  and 
gray-haired,  quick  in  his  movements,  hasty  in  his  walk, 
with  an  eager,  earnest  stare  through  his  spectacles, 
hurrying  about  with  a  pocket-book  of  subscriptions  in 
his  hand,  —  seldom  speaking,  and  then  in  brief  expres 
sions,  —  sitting  down  before  the  stage  comes,  to  write  a 
list  of  subscribers  obtained  to  his  employers  in  New 
York.  Withal,  a  city  and  business  air  about  him,  as  of 
one  accustomed  to  hurry  through  narrow  alleys,  and 
dart  across  thronged  streets,  and  speak  hastily  to  one 
man  and  another  at  jostling  corners,  though  now  trans 
acting  his  affairs  in  the  solitude  of  mountains. 


182  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

An  old,  gray  man,  seemingly  astray  and  abandoned 
in  this  wide  world,  sitting  in  the  bar-room,  speaking  to 
none,  nor  addressed  by  any  one.  Not  understand 
ing  the  meaning  of  the  supper-bell  till  asked  to  supper 
by  word  of  mouth.  However,  he  called  for  a  glass  of 
brandy. 

A  pedler,  with  girls'  silk  neckerchiefs,  —  or  gauze,— 
men's  silk  pocket-handkerchiefs,  red  bandannas,  and  a 
variety  of  horn  combs,  trying  to  trade  with  the  servant- 
girls  of  the  house.  One  of  them,  Laura,  attempts  to 
exchange  a  worked  Vandyke,  which  she  values  at  two 
dollars  and  a  half;  Eliza,  being  reproached  by  the 
pedler,  "  vows  that  she  buys  more  of  pedlers  than  any 
other  person  in  the  house." 

A  drove  of  pigs  passing  at  dusk.  They  appeared  not 
so  much  disposed  to  ramble  and  go  astray  from  the  line 
of  march  as  in  daylight,  but  kept  together  in  a  pretty 
compact  body.  There  was  a  general  grunting,  not 
violent  at  all,  but  low  and  quiet,  as  if  they  were  express 
ing  their  sentiments  among  themselves  in  a  companion 
able  way.  Pigs,  on  a  march,  do  not  subject  themselves 
to  any  leader  among  themselves,  but  pass  on,  higgledy- 
piggledy,  without  regard  to  age  or  sex. 

September  1st. —  Last  evening,  during  a  walk,  Gray- 
lock  and  the  whole  of  Saddleback  were  at  first  imbued 
with  a  mild,  half-sunshiny  tinge,  then  grew  almost  black, 
—  a  huge,  dark  mass  lying  on  the  back  of  the  earth  and 
encumbering  it.  Stretching  up  from  behind  the  black 
mountain,  over  a  third  or  more  of  the  sky,  there  was  a 


1638.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  183 

heavy,  sombre  blue  heap  or  ledge  of  clouds,  looking 
almost  as  solid  as  rocks.  The  volumes  of  which  it  was 
composed  were  perceptible  by  translucent  lines  and  fis 
sures  ;  but  the  mass,  as  a  whole,  seemed  as  solid,  bulky, 
and  ponderous  in  the  cloud-world  as  the  mountain  was 
on  earth.  The  mountain  and  cloud  together  had  an  in 
describably  stern  and  majestic  aspect.  Beneath  this 
heavy  cloud,  there  was  a  fleet  or  flock  of  light,  vapory 
mists,  flitting  in  middle  air;  and  these  were  tinted, 
from  the  vanished  sun,  with  the  most  gorgeous  and  liv 
ing  purple  that  can  be  conceived, —  a  fringe  upon  the 
stern  blue.  In  the  opposite  quarter  of  the  heavens,  a 
rose-light  was  reflected,  whence  I  know  not,  which 
colored  the  clouds  around  the  moon,  then  well  above 
the  horizon,  so  that  the  nearly  round  and  silver  moon 
appeared  strangely  among  roseate  clouds,  —  sometimes 
half  obscured  by  them. 

A  man  with  a  smart  horse,  upon  which  the  landlord 
makes  laudatory  remarks.  He  replies  that  he  has  "  a 
better  at  home."  Dressed  in  a  brown,  bright-buttoned 
coat,  smartly  cut.  He  immediately  becomes  familiar, 
and  begins  to  talk  of  the  license  law,  and  other  similar 
topics,  —  making  himself  at  home,  as  one  who,  being 
much  of  his  time  upon  the  road,  finds  himself  at  ease 
at  any  tavern.  He  inquired  after  a  stage-agent, 
named  Brigham,  who  formerly  resided  here,  but  now 
has  gone  to  the  West.  He  himself  was  probably 
a  horse-jockey. 

An  old  lady,  stopping  here  over  the  Sabbath,  waiting 
for  to-morrow's  stage  for  Greenfield,  having  been  de- 


184  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [J838« 

ceived  by  the  idea  that  she  could  proceed  on  her  jour 
ney  without  delay.  Quiet,  making  herself  comfortable, 
taken  into  the  society  of  the  women  of  the  house. 

September  3d.  —  On  the  slope  of  Bald  Mountain  a 
clearing,  set  in  the  frame  of  the  forest  on  all  sides,  —  a 
growth  of  clover  upon  it,  which,  having  been  mewed 
once  this  year,  is  now  appropriated  to  pasturage. 
Stumps  remaining  in  the  ground ;  one  tall,  barkless 
stem  of  a  tree  standing  upright,  branchless,  and  with  a 
ghattered  summit.  One  or  two  other  stems  lying  pros 
trate  arid  partly  overgrown  with  bushes  and  shrubbery, 
some  of  them  bearing  a  yellow  flower,  —  a  color  which 
Autumn  loves.  The  stumps  and  trunks  fire-blackened, 
yet  nothing  about  them  that  indicates  a  recent  clearing, 
but  the  roughness  of  an  old  clearing,  that,  being  removed 
from  convenient  labor,  has  none  of  the  polish  of  the 
homestead.  The  field,  with  slight  undulations,  slopes 
pretty  directly  down.  Near  the  lower  verge,  a  rude 
sort  of  barn,  or  rather  haystack  roofed  over,  and  with 
hay  protruding  and  hanging  out.  An  ox  feeding,  and 
putting  up  his  muzzle  to  pull  down  a  mouthful  of  hay ; 
but  seeing  me,  a  stranger,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  field, 
he  remains  long  gazing,  and  finally  betakes  himself  to 
feeding  again.  A  solitary  butterfly  flitting  to  and  fro, 
blown  slightly  on  its  course  by  a  cool  September  wind, 
—  the  coolness  of  which  begins  to  be  tempered  by  a 
bright,  glittering  sun.  There  is  dew  on  the  grass.  In 
front,  beyond  the  lower  spread  of  forest,  Saddle  Moun 
tain  rises,  and  the  valleys  and  long,  swelling  hills  sweep 
away.  But  the  impression  of  this  clearing  is  solitude, 
as  of  a  forgotten  land. 


1838.J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  185 

It  is  customary  here  to  toll  the  bell  at  the  death  of 
a  person,  at  the  hour  of  his  death,  whether  A.  M.  or 
r.  M.  Not,  however,  I  suppose,  if  it  happen  in  deep 
night. 

"  There  are  three  times  in  a  man's  life  when  he  is 
talked  about,  —  when  he  is  born,  when  he  is  married, 

and  when  he  dies."   "  Yes,"  said  Orrin  S ,  *'  and  only 

one  of  the  times  has  he  to  pay  anything  for  it  out  of  his 
own  pocket."  (In  reference  to  a  claim  by  the  guests  of 
the  bar-room  on  the  man  Amasa  Richardson  for  a  treat.) 

A  wood-chopper,  travelling  the  country  in  search  of 
jobs  at  chopping.  His  baggage  a  bundle,  a  handker 
chief,  and  a  pair  of  coarse  boots.  His  implement  an 
axe,  most  keenly  ground  and  sharpened,  which  I  had 
noticed  standing  in  a  corner,  and  thought  it  would 
almost  serve  as  a  razor.  I  saw  another  wood-chopper 
sitting  down  on  the  ascent  of  Bald  Mountain,  with  his 
axe  on  one  side  and  a  jug  and  provisions  on  the  other, 
on  the  way  to  his  day's  toil. 

The  Revolutionary  pensioners  come  out  into  the  sun 
shine  to  make  oath  that  they  are  still  above  ground. 

One,  whom -Mr.  S saluted  as  "Uncle  John,"  went 

into  the  bar-room,  walking  pretty  stoutly  by  the  aid  of 
a  long,  oaken  staff,  —  with  an  old,  creased,  broken  and 
ashen  bell-crowned  hat  on  his  head,  and  wearing  a  brown 
old-fashioned  suit  of  clothes.  Pretty  portly,  fleshy  in 
the  face,  and  with  somewhat  of  a  paunch,  cheerful,  and 
his  senses,  bodily  and  mental,  in  no  very  bad  order, 
though  he  is  now  in  his  ninetieth  year.  "  An  old 


186  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 


withered  and  wilted  apple,"  quoth  Uncle  John,  "  keeps 
a  good  while."  Mr.  S  -  says  his  grandfather  lived 
to  be  a  hundred,  and  that  his  legs  became  covered 
with  moss,  like  the  trunk  of  an  old  tree.  Uncle  John 
would  smile  and  cackle  at  a  little  jest,  and  what  life 
there  was  in  him  seemed  a  good-natured  and  comforta 
ble  one  enough.  He  can  walk  two  or  three  miles,  he 
says,  "  taking  it  moderate."  I  suppose  his  state  is  that 
of  a  drowsy  man  but  partly  conscious  of  life,  —  walking 
as  through  a  dim  dream,  but  brighter  at  some  seasons 
than  at  others.  By  and  by  he  will  fell  quite  asleep, 
without  any  trouble.  Mr.  S  -  ,  unbidden,  gave  him 
a  glass  of  gin,  which  the  old  man  imbibed  by  the  warm 
fireside,  and  grew  the  younger  for  it. 

September  4th.  —  This  day  an  exhibition  of  animals  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  village,  under  a  pavilion  of  sail-cloth,  —  • 
the  floor  being  the  natural  grass,  with  here  and  there  a 
rock  partially  protruding.  A  pleasant,  mild  shade  ;  a 
strip  of  sunshine  or  a  spot  of  glimmering  brightness  in 
some  parts.  Crowded,  —  row  above  row  of  women,  on  an 
amphitheatre  of  seats,  on  one  side.  In  an  inner  pavil 
ion  an  exhibition  of  anacondas,  —  four,  —  which  the 
showman  took,  one  by  one,  from  a  large  box,  under 
some  blankets,  and  hung  round  his  shoulders.  They 
seemed  almost  torpid  when  first  taken  out,  but  gradually 
began  to  assume  life,  to  stretch,  to  contract,  twine  and 
writhe  about  his  neck  and  person,  thrusting  out  their 
tongues  and  erecting  their  heads.  Their  weight  was  as 
much  as  he  could  bear,  and  they  hung  down  almost  to 
the  ground  when  not  contorted,  —  as  big  round  as  a 
man's  thigh,  almost,  —  spotted  and  ruhly  variegated. 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  187 

Then  he  put  them  into  the  box  again,  their  heads 
emerging  and  writhing  forth,  which  the  showman  thrust 
back  again.  He  gave  a  descriptive  and  historical  ac 
count  of  them,  and  a  fanciful  and  poetical  one  also.  A 
man  put  his  arm  and  head  into  the  lion's  mouth,  —  all 
the  spectators  looking  on  so  attentively  that  a  breath 
could  not  be  heard.  That  was  impressive,  —  its  effect 
on  a  thousand  persons,  —  more  so  than  the  thing  itself. 
In  the  evening  the  caravan  people  were  at  the  tavern, 
talking  of  their  troubles  in  coming  over  the  mountain, 
—  the  overturn  of  a  cage  containing  two  leopards  and  a 
hyena.  They  are  a  rough,  ignorant  set  of  men,  appar 
ently  incapable  of  taking  any  particular  enjoyment  from 
the  life  of  variety  and  adventure  which  they  lead. 
There  was  the  man  who  put  his  head  into  the  lion's 
mouth,  and,  I  suppose,  the  man  about  whom  the  ana 
condas  twined,  talking  about  their  suppers,  and  bluster 
ing  for  hot  meat,  and  calling  for  something  to  drink, 
without  anything  of  the  wild  dignity  of  men  familiar 
with  the  nobility  of  nature. 

A  character  of  a  desperate  young  man,  who  employs 
high  courage  and  strong  faculties  in  this  sort  of  dangers, 
and  wastes  his  talents  in  wild  riot,  addressing  the  audi 
ence  as  a  snake-man,  —  keeping  the  ring  while  the 
monkey  rides  the  pony,  —  singing  negro  and  other 


The  country  boors  were  continually  getting  within 
the  barriers,  and  venturing  too  near  the  cages.  The 
fcreat  lion  lay  with  his  fore  paws  extended,  and  a  calm, 
raajestic,  but  awful  countenance.  He  looked  on  the 


188  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838 

people  as  if  he  had  seen  many  such  concourses.  The 
hyena  was  the  most  ugly  and  dangerous  looking  beast, 
full  of  spite,  and  on  ill  terms  with  all  nature,  looking  a 
good  deal  like  a  hog  with  the  devil  in  him,  the  ridge  of 
hair  along  his  back  bristling.  He  was  in  the  cage  with 
a  leopard  and  a  panther,  and  the  latter  seemed  continu 
ally  on  the  point  of  laying  his  paw  on  the  hyena,  who 
snarled,  and  showed  his  teeth.  It  is  strange,  though, 
to  see  how  these  wild  beasts  acknowledge  and  practise 
a  degree  of  mutual  forbearance,  and  of  obedience  to 
iran,  with  their  wild  nature  yet  in  them.  The  great 
white  bear  seemed  in  distress  from  the  heat,  moving  his 
head  and  body  in  a  peculiar,  fantastic  way,  and  eagerly 
drinking  water  when  given  it.  He  was  thin  and  lank. 

The  caravan  men  were  so  sleepy,  Orrin  S says, 

that  he  could  hardly  wake  them  in  the  morning.  They 
turned  over  on  their  faces  to  show  him. 

Coming  out  of  .the  caravansary,  there  were  the  moun 
tains,  in  the  quiet  sunset,  and  many  men  drunk,  swear 
ing,  and  fighting.  Shanties  with  liquor  for  sale. 

The  elephant  lodged  in  the  barn. 

September  5th.  —  I  took  a  walk  of  three  miles  from  the 
village,  which  brought  me  into  Vermont.  The  line  runs 
athwart  a  bridge,  —  a  rude  bridge,  which  crosses  a  moun 
tain  stream.  The  stream  runs  deep  at  the  bottom  of  a 
gorge,  plashing  downward,  with  rapids  and  pools,  and 
bestrewn  with  large  rocks,  deep  and  shady,  not  to 
be  reached  by  the  sun  except  in  its  meridian,  as  well 
on  account  of  the  depth  of  the  gorge  as  of  the  arch  of 
wilderness  trees  above  it.  There  was  a  stumpy  clear 
ing  beyond  the  bridge,  where  some  men  were  building 


. 


1833.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  \ 

'V:,~  ',- 
a  house.     I  went  to  them,  and   inquired  if  I  were  in 

Massachusetts  or  Vermont,  and  asked  for  some  water. 
Whereupon  they  showed  great  hospitality,  and  the  mas 
ter-workman  went  to  the  spring,  and  brought  delicious 
water  in  a  tin  basin,  and  produced  another  jug  contain 
ing  "  new  rum,  and  very  good ;  and  rum  does  nobody 
any  harm  if  they  make  a  good  use  of  it,"  quoth  he.  I 
invited  them  to  call  on  me  at  the  hotel,  if  they  should 
come  to  the  village  within  two  or  three  days.  Then  I 
took  my  way  back  through  the  forest,  for  this  is  a  by 
road,  and  is,  much  of  its  course,  a  sequestrated  and  wild 
one,  with  an  unseen  torrent  roaring  at  an  unseen  depth, 
along  the  roadside. 

My  walk  forth  had  been  an  almost  continued  ascent, 
and,  returning,  I  had  an  excellent  view  of  Graylock  and 
the  adjacent  mountains,  at  such  a  distance  that  they 
were  all  brought  into  one  group,  and  comprehended  at 
one  view,  as  belonging  to  the  same  -company,  —  all 
mighty,  with  a  mightier  chief.  As  I  drew  nearer  home, 
they  separated,  and  the  unity  of  effect  was  lost.  The 
more  distant  then  disappeared  behind  the  nearer  ones, 
and  finally  Graylock  itself  was  lost  behind  the  hill  which 
immediately  snuts  in  the  village.  There  was  a  warm 
autumnal  haze,  which,  I  think,  seemed  to  throw  the 
mountains  farther  off,  and  both  to  enlarge  and  soften 
them. 

To  imagine  the  gorges  and  deep  hollows  in  among 
the  group  of  mountains,  —  their  huge  shoulders  and  pro 
trusions. 

"They  were  just  beginning  to  pitch  over  the  moun 
tains,  as  I  came  along,"  —  stage-driver's  expression 
about  the  caravan. 


190  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

A  fantastic  figure  of  a  village  coxcomb,  striding 
through  the  bar-room,  and  standing  with  folded  arms  tc 
survey  the  caravan  men.  There  is  much  exaggeration 
and  rattle-brain  about  this  fellow. 

A  mad  girl  leaped  from  the  top  of  a  tremendous  preci 
pice  in  Pownall,  hundreds  of  feet  high,  if  the  tale  be 
true,  and,  being  buoyed  up  by  her  clothes,  came  safely 
to  the  bottom. 

inquiries  about  the  coming  of  the  caravan,  and 
whether  the  elephant  had  got  to  town,  and  reports  that 
he  had. 

A  smart,  plump,  crimson-faced  gentleman,  with  a 
travelling-portmanteau  of  peculiar  neatness  and  con 
venience.  He  criticises  the  road  over  the  mountain, 
having  come  in  the  Greenfield  stage ;  perhaps  an  en 
gineer. 

Bears  still  inhabit  Saddleback  and  the  neighboring 
mountains  and  forests.  Six  were  taken  in  Pownall 
last  year,  and  two  hundred  foxes.  Sometimes  they  ap 
pear  on  the  hills,  in  close  proximity  to  this  village. 

September  1th.  —  Mr.  Leach  and  I  took  a  walk  by 
moonlight  last  evening,  on  the  road  that  leads  over  the 
mountain.  Remote  from  houses,  far  up  on  the  hillside, 
we  found  a  lime-kiln,  burning  near  the  road  ;  and,  ap 
proaching  it,  a  watcher  started  from  the  ground,  where 
he  had  been  lying  at  his  length.  There  are  several 
of  these  lime-kilns  in  this  vicinity.  They  are  circular, 


1838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  191 

built  with  stones,  like  a  round  tower,  eighteen  or  twenty 
feet  high,  having  a  hillock  heaped  around  in  a  great 
portion  of  their  circumference,  so  that  the  marble  may 
be  brought  and  thrown  in  by  cart-loads  at  the  top.  At 
the  bottom  there  is  a  doorway,  large  enough  to  admit  a 
man  in  a  stooping  posture.  Thus  an  edifice  of  great 
solidity  is  constructed,  which  will  endure  for  centuries, 
unless  needless  pains  are  taken  to  tear  it  down.  There 
is  one  on  the  hillside,  close  to  the  village,  wherein  weeds 
grow  at  the  bottom,  and  grass  and  shrubs  too  are  rooted 
in  the  interstices  of  the  stones,  and  its  low  doorway  has 
a  dungeon-like  aspect,  and  we  look  down  from  the  top 
as  into  a  roofless  tower.  It  apparently  has  not  been 
used  for  many  years,  and  the  lime  and  weather-stained 
fragments  of  marble  are  scattered  about. 

But  in  the  one  we  saw  last  night  a  hard-wood  fire 
was  burning  merrily,  beneath  the  superincumbent  mar 
ble,  —  the  kiln  being  heaped  full ;  and  shortly  after  we 
came,  the  man  (a  dark,  black-bearded  figure,  in  shirt 
sleeves)  opened  the  iron  door,  through  the  chinks  of 
which  the  fire  was  gleaming,  and  thrust  in  huge  logs  of 
wood,  and  stirred  the  immense  coals  with  a  long  pole,  and 
showed  us  the  glowing  limestone, — the  lower  layer  of  it. 
The  heat  of  the  fire  was  powerful,  at  the  distance  of 
several  yards  from  the  open  door.  He  talked  very  sen 
sibly  with  us,  being  doubtless  glad  to  have  two  visitors 
to  vary  his  solitary  night-watch ;  for  it  would  not  do  for 
him  to  fall  asleep,  since  the  fire  should  be  refreshed  as 
often  as  every  twenty  minutes.  We  ascended  the  hil 
lock  to  the  top  of  the  kiln,  and  the  marble  was  red-hot, 
and  burning  with  a  bluish,  lambent  flame,  quivering  up, 
some  times  nearly  a  yard  high,  and  resembling  the  flame 


192  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [183&. 

of  anthracite  coal,  only,  the  marble  being  in  large  frag 
ments,  the  flame  was  higher.  The  kiln  was  perhaps 
six  or  eight  feet  across.  Four  hundred  bushels  of  mar- 
Die  were  then  in  a  state  of  combustion.  The  expense 
of  converting  this  quantity  into  lime  is  about  fifty  dol 
lars,  and  it  sells  for  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel  at  the 
kiln.  We  asked  the  man  whether  he  would  run  across 
the  top  of  the  intensely  burning  kiln,  barefooted,  for  a 
thousand  dollars  ;  and  he  said  he  would  for  ten.  He 
told  us  that  the  lime  had  been  burning  forty-eight  hours, 
and  would  be  finished  in  thirty-six  more.  He  liked  the 
business  of  watching  it  better  by  night  than  by  day ; 
because  the  days  were  often  hot,  but  such  a  mild  and 
beautiful  night  as  the  last  was  just  right.  Here  a  poet 
might  make  verses  with  moonlight  in  them,  and  a  gleam 
of  fierce  firelight  flickering  through.  It  is  a  shame  to 
use  this  brilliant,  white,  almost  transparent  marble  in 
this  way.  A  man  said  of  it,  the  other  day,  that  into 
some  pieces  of  it,  when  polished,  one  could  see  a  good 
distance ;  and  he  instanced  a  certain  gravestone. 

Visited  the  cave.  A  large  portion  of  it,  where  water 
trickles  and  falls,  is  perfectly  white.  The  walls  pre 
sent  a  specimen  of  how  Nature  packs  the  stone,  crowd 
ing  huge  masses,  as  it  were,  into  chinks  and  fissures, 
and  here  we  see  it  in  the  perpendicular  or  horizontal 
layers,  as  Nature  laid  it. 

September  Sth.  —  A  walk  yesterday  forenoon  through 
the  Notch,  formed  between  Saddle  Mountain  and  another 
adjacent  one.  This  Notch  is  otherwise  called  the  Bel- 
lowspipe,  being  a  long  and  narrow  valley,  with  a  steep 


1538.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  193 

wall  on  either  side.  The  walls  are  very  high,  and  the 
fallen  timbers  lie  strewed  adown  the  precipitous  descent. 
The  valley  gradually  descends  from  the  narrowest  part 
of  the  Notch,  and  a  stream  of  water  flows  through  the 
midst  of  it,  which,  farther  onward  in  its  course,  turns  a 
mill.  The  valley  is  cultivated,  there  being  two  or  three 
farm-houses  towards  the  northern  end,  and  extensive 
fic4ds  of  grass  beyond,  where  stand  the  hay-mows  of  last 
year,  with  the  hay  cut  away  regularly  around  their 
bases.  All  the  more  distant  portion  of  the  valley  is 
lonesome  in  the  extreme ;  and  on  the  hither  side  of  the 
narrowest  part  the  land  is  uncultivated,  partly  over 
grown  with  forest,  partly  used  as  sheep-pastures,  for 
wliich  purpose  it  is  not  nearly  so  barren  as  sheep-pas 
tures  usually  are.  On  the  right,  facing  southward,  rises 
Graylock,  all  beshagged  with  forest,  and  with  headlong 
precipices  of  rock  appearing  among  the  black  pines. 
Southward  there  is  a  most  extensive  view  of  the  valley, 
in  which  Saddleback  and  its  companion  mountains 
are  crouched,  —  wide  and  far,  —  a  broad,  misty  valley, 
fenced  in  by  a  mountain  wall,  and  with  villages  scattered 
along  it,  and  miles  of  forest,  which  appear  but  as  patches, 
scattered  here  and  there  upon  the  landscape.  The  de 
scent  from  the  Notch  southward  is  much  more  abrupt 
than  on  the  other  side.  A  stream  flows  down  through 
it ;  and  along  much  of  its  course  it  has  washed  away  all 
the  earth  from  a  ledge  of  rock,  and  then  formed  a  de 
scending  pavement,  smooth  and  regular,  which  the 
scanty  flow  of  water  scarcely  suffices  to  moisten  at  this 
period,  though  a  heavy  rain,  probably,  would  send  down 
a  torrent,  raging,  roaring,  and  foaming.  1  descended 
along  the  course  of  the  stream,  and  sometimes  on  the 
VOL.  i.  9  M 


194  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

rocky  path  of  it,  and,  turning  off  towards  the  south  vil 
lage,  followed  a  cattle-path  till  I  came  to  a  cottage. 

A  horse  was  standing  saddled  near  the  door,  but  I 
did  not  see  the  rider.  I  knocked,  and  an  elderly  wo 
man,  of  very  pleasing  and  intelligent  aspect,  came  at  the 
summons,  and  gave  me  directions  how  to  get  to  the 
south  village  through  an  orchard  and  "across  lots," 
which  would  bring  me  into  the  road  near  the  Quaker 
meeting-house,  with  gravestones  round  it.  While  she 
talked,  a  young  woman  came  into  the  pantry  from  the 
kitchen,  with  a  dirty  little  brat,  whose  squalls  I  had 
heard  all  along ;  the  reason  of  his  outcry  being  that  his 
mother  was  washing  him,  —  a  very  unusual  process,  if 
I  may  judge  by  his  looks.  I  asked  the  old  lady  for 
some  water,  and  she  gave  me,  I  think,  the  most  delicious 
I  ever  tasted.  These  mountaineers  ought  certainly  to 
be  temperance  people  ;  for  their  mountain  springs  sup 
ply  them  with  a  liquor  of  which  the  cities  and  the  low 
countries  can  have  no  conception.  Pure,  fresh,  almost 
sparkling,  exhilarating,  —  such  water  as  Adam  and  Eve 
drank. 

I  passed  the  south  village  on  a  by-road,  without  en 
tering  it,  and  was  taken  up  by  the  stage  from  Pittsfield 
a  mile  or  two  this  side  of  it.  Platt,  the  driver,  a  friend 
of  mine,  talked  familiarly  about  many  matters,  inter 
mixing  his  talk  with  remarks  on  his  team  and  addresses 
to  the  beasts  composing  it,  who  were  three  mares,  and 
a  horse  on  the  near  wheel,  —  all  bays.  The  horse  he 
pronounced  "a  dreadful  nice  horse  to  go;  but  if  he 
could  shirk  off  the  work  upon  the  others,  he  would," 
—  which  unfairness  Platt  corrected  by  timely  strokes  of 
the  whip  whenever  the  horse's  traces  were  not  tightened 


1838.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  195 

One  of  the  mares  wished  to  go  faster,  hearing  another 
horse  tramp  behind  her ;  u  and  nothing  made  her  so 
mad,"  quoth  Platt,  "  as  to  be  held  in  when  she  wanted 
to  go."  The  near  leader  started.  "  O  the  little  dev 
il,"  said  he,  "  how  skittish  she  is  !  "  Another  stumbled, 
and  Platt  bantered  her  thereupon.  Then  he  told  of 
foundering  through  snow-drifts  in  winter,  and  carrying 
the  mail  on  his  back  four  miles  from  Benuington.  And 
thus  we  jogged  on,  and  got  to  "  mine  inn  "  just  as  the 
dinner-bell  was  ringing. 

Pig-drover,  with  two  hundred  pigs.  They  are  much 
more  easily  driven  on  rainy  days  than  on  fair  ones. 
One  of  his  pigs,  a  large  one,  particularly  troublesome 
as  to  running  off  the  road  towards  every  object,  and 
leading  the  drove.  Thirteen  miles  about  a  day's  jour 
ney,  in  the  course  of  which  the  drover  has  to  travel 
about  thirty. 

They  have  a  dog,  who  runs  to  and  fro  indefatigably, 
barking  at  those  who  straggle  on  the  flanks  of  the  line 
of  march,  then  scampering  to  the  other  side  and  bark 
ing  there,  and  sometimes  having  quite  an  affair  of  bark 
ing  and  surly  grunting  with  some  refractory  pig,  who 
has  found  something  to  munch,  and  refuses  to  quit  it. 
The  pigs  are  fed  on  corn  at  their  halts.  The  drove  has 
some  ultimate  market,  and  individuals  are  peddled  out 
on  the  march.  Some  die. 

Merino  sheep  (which  are  much  raised  in  Berkshire) 
are  good  for  hardly  anything  to  eat,  —  a  fair-sized  quar 
ter  dwindling  down  to  almost  nothing  in  the  process  of 
roasting. 

The  tavern-keeper  in  Stockbridge,  an  elderly  bach- 


1J6  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

eior,  —  a  vtusty,  black-dressed,  antiquated  figure,  with  a 
white  DecKcioth  setting  off  a  dim,  yellow  complexion, 
looking  like  one  of  the  old  wax  figures  of  ministers  in 
a  corner  of  the  New  England  Museum.  He  did  not 
seem  olrf,  but  like  a  middle-aged  man,  who  had  been 
preserved  in  some  dark  and  cobwebby  corner  for  a 
great  while.  He  is  asthmatic. 

In  Connecticut,  and  also  sometimes  in  Berkshire,  the 
villages  are  situated  on  the  most  elevated  ground  that 
can  be  found,  so  that  they  are  visible  for  miles  around. 
Litchfield  is  a  remarkable  instance,  occupying  a  high 
plain,  without  the  least  shelter  from  the  winds,  and  with 
almost  as  wide  an  expanse  of  view  as  from  a  mountain- 
top.  The  streets  are  very  wide,  —  two  or  three  hundred 
feet,  at  least,  —  with  wide,  green  margins,  and  sometimes 
there  is  a  wide  green  space  between  two  road  tracks. 
Nothing  can  be  neater  than  the  churches  and  houses. 
The  graveyard  is  on  the  slope,  and  at  the  foot  of  a 
swell,  filled  with  old  and  new  gravestones,  some  of  red 
freestone,  some  of  gray  granite,  most  of  them  of  white 
marble,  and  one  of  cast-iron  with  an  inscription  of 
raised  letters.  There  was  one  of  the  date  of  about 
1776,  on  which  was  represented  the  third  length,  bas- 
relief  portrait  of  a  gentleman  in  a  wig  and  other  cos 
tume  of  that  day ;  and  as  a  framework  about  this  por 
trait  was  wreathed  a  garland  of  vine-leaves  and  heavy 
clusters  of  grapes.  The  deceased  should  have  been  a 
jolly  bottleman  ;  but  the  epitaph  indicated  nothing  of 
the  kind. 

In  a  remote  part  of  the  graveyard,  —  remote  from 
the  main  body  of  dead  people,  -  - 1  noticed  a  humble, 


1638.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  19/ 

znossy  stone,  on  which  I  traced  out,  "  To  the  memory  ol 
Julia  Africa,  servant  of  Rev."  somebody.  There  were 
also  the  half-obliterated  traces  of  other  graves,  without 
any  monuments,  in  the  vicinity  of  this  one.  Doubtless 
the  slaves  here  mingled  their  dark  clay  with  the  earth. 

At  Litchfield  there  is  a  doctor  who  undertakes  to 
cure  deformed  people,  —  and  humpbacked,  lame,  and 
otherwise  defective  folk  go  there.  Besides  these,  there 
were  many  ladies  and  others  boarding  there,  for  the> 
oenefit  of  the  air,  I  suppose. 

At  Canaan,  Connecticut,  before  the  tavern,  there  is  a 
doorstep  two  or  three  paces  large  in  each  of  its  dimen 
sions  ;  and  on  this  is  inscribed  the  date  when  the 
builder  of  the  house  came  to  the  town,  —  namely,  1731. 
The  house  was  built  in  1751.  Then  follows  the  age  and 
death  of  the  patriarch  (at  over  ninety)  and  his  wife,  and 
the  births  of,  I  think,  eleven  sons  and  daughters.  It 
wouid  seem  as  if  they  were  buried  underneath ;  and 
many  people  take  that  idea.  It  is  odd  to  put  a  family 
record  in  a  spot  where  it  is  sure  to  be  trampled  under 
foot. 

At  Springfield,  a  blind-man,  who  came  in  the  stage, 
—  elderly,  —  sitting  in  the  reading-room,  and,  as  soon  as 
seated,  feeling  all  around  him  with  his  cane,  so  as  to 
find  out  his  locality,  and  know  where  he  may  spit  with 
safety !  The  cautious  and  scientific  air  with  which  he 
measures  his  distances.  Then  he  sits  still  and  silent  a 
long  while,  —  then  inquires  the  hour,  —  then  says,  "  I 
should  like  to  go  to  bed."  Nobody  of  the  house  bting 
near,  he  receives  no  answer,  and  repeats  impatiently, 
"  I  'D  go  to  bed."  One  would  suppose,  that,  conscious  of 


198  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1838. 

Lis  dependent  condition,  he  would  have  learned  a  dif 
ferent  sort  of  manner  ;  but  probably  he  has  lived  where 
he  could  command  attention. 

Two  travellers,  eating  bread  and  cheese  of  their  own 
in  the  bar-room  at  Stockbridge,  and  drinking  water  out 
of  a  tumbler  borrowed  from  the  landlord.  Eating  im 
mensely,  and,  when  satisfied,  putting  the  relics  in  their 
trunk,  and  rubbing  down  the  table. 

Sample  ears  of  various  kinds  of  corn  hanging  over 
the  looking-glass  or  in  the  bars  of  taverns.  Four  ears 
on  a  stalk  (good  ones)  are  considered  a  heavy  har 
vest. 

A  withered,  yellow,  sodden,  dead-alive  looking  woman, 
—  an  opium-eater.  A  deaf  man,  with  a  great  fancy  for 
conversation,  so  that  his  interlocutor  is  compelled  to 
halloo  and  bawl  over  the  rumbling  of  the  coach,  amid 
which  he  hears  best.  The  sharp  tones  of  a  woman's 
voice  appear  to  pierce  his  dull  organs  much  better 
than  a  masculine  voice.  The  impossibility  of  saying 
anything  but  commonplace  matters  to  a  deaf  man, 
of  expressing  any  delicacy  of  thought  in  a  raised 
tone,  of  giving  utterance  to  fine  feelings  in  a  bawl. 
This  man's  deafness  seemed  to  have  made  his  mind  and 
feelings  uncommonly  coarse ;  for,  after  the  opium-eater 
had  renewed  an  old  acquaintance  with  him,  almost  the 
first  question  he  asked,  in  his  raised  voice,  was,  "  Do 
you  eat  opium  now  ?  " 

At  Hartford,  the  keeper  of  a  temperance  hotel  read 
ing  a  Hebrew  Bible  in  the  bar  by  means  of  a  lexicon 
and  an  English  version. 


1838]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  199 

A  negro,  respectably  dressed,  and  well-mounted  on 
horseback,  travelling  on  his  own  hook,  calling  for  oats, 
and  drinking  a  glass  of  brandy- and- water  at  the  bar, 
like  any  other  Christian.  A  young  man  from  Wiscon 
sin  said :  "  I  wish  I  had  a  thousand  such  fellows  in  Ala 
bama."  It  made  a  strange  impression  on  me,  —  the 
negro  was  really  so  human !  —  and  to  talk  of  owning  a 
thousand  like  him ! 

Left  North  Adams  September  llth.  Reached  home 
September  24th,  1838. 

October  24tth.  —  View  from  a  chamber  of  the  Tre- 
mont  of  the  brick  edifice  opposite,  on  the  other  side  of 
Beacon  Street.  At  one  of  the  lower  windows,  a  woman 
at  work ;  at  one  above,  a  lady  hemming  a  ruff  or  some 
such  lady-like  thing.  She  is  pretty,  young,  and  mar 
ried  ;  for  a  little  boy  comes  to  her  knees,  and  she  parts 
his  hair,  and  caresses  him  in  a  motherly  way.  A  note 
on  colored  paper  is  brought  her  ;  and  she  reads  it,  and 
puts  it  in  her  bosom.  At  another  window,  at  some 
depth  within  the  apartment,  a  gentleman  in  a  dressing- 
gown,  reading,  and  rocking  in  an  easy-chair,  &c.,  &c., 
&c.  A  rainy  day,  and  people  passing  with  umbrellas 
disconsolately  between  the  spectator  and  these  various 
scenes  of  indoor  occupation  and  comfort.  With  this 
sketch  might  be  mingled  and  worked  up  some  story 
that  was  going  on  within  the  chamber  where  the  spec 
tator  was  situated. 

All  the  dead  that  had  ever  been  drowned  in  a  certain 
lake  to  arise. 


200  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833. 

The  history  of  a  small  lake  from  the  first,  till  it  wag 
drained. 

An  autumnal  feature,  —  boys  had  swept  together  the 
fallen  leaves  from  the  elms  along  the  street  in  one  huge 
pile,  and  had  made  a  hollow,  nest-shaped,  in  this  pile, 
in  which  three  or  four  of  them  lay  curled,  like  young 
birds. 

A  tombstone-maker,  whom  Miss  B y  knew,  used 

to  cut  cherubs  on  the  top  of  the  tombstones,  and  had  the 
art  of  carving  the  cherubs'  faces  in  the  likeness  of  the 
deceased. 

A  child  of  Rev.  E.  P was  threatened  with  total 

blindness.  A  week  after  the  father  had  been  informed 
of  this,  the  child  died ;  and,  in  the  mean  while,  his  feel 
ings  had  become  so  much  the  more  interested  in  the 
child,  from  its  threatened  blindness,  that  it  was  infinitely 
harder  to  give  it  up.  Had  he  not  been  aware  of  it  till 
after  the  child's  death,  it  would  probably  have  been  a 
consolation. 

Singular  character  of  a  gentleman  (H.  H -,  Esq.) 

living  in  retirement  in  Boston, — esteemed  a  man  of  nicest 
honor,  and  his  seclusion  attributed  to  wounded  feelings 
on  account  of  the  failure  of  his  firm  in  business.  Yet  it 
was  discovered  that  this  man  had  been  the  mover  01 
intrigues  by  which  men  in  business  had  been  ruined, 
and  their  property  absorbed,  none  knew  how  or  by 
whom ;  love-affairs  had  been  broken  off,  and  much  other 
mischief  done ;  and  for  years  he  was  not  iu  th 


/838.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  201 

suspected.  He  died  suddenly,  soon  after  suspicion  fell 
upon  him.  Probably  it  was  the  love  of  management, 
of  having  an  influence  on  affairs,  that  produced  these 
phenomena. 

Character  of  a  man  who,  in  himself  and  his  external 
circumstances,  shall  be  equally  and  totally  false :  his 
foi  tune  resting  on  baseless  credit,  —  his  patriotism 
assumed,  —  his  domestic  affections,  his  honor  and  hon 
esty,  all  a  sham.  His  own  misery  in  the  midst  of  it,  — 
it  making  the  whole  universe,  heaven  and  earth  alike, 
an  unsubstantial  mockery  to  him. 

Dr.  Johnson's  penance  in  Uttoxeter  Market.  A  man 
who  does  penance  in  what  might  appear  to  lookers-on 
the  most  glorious  and  triumphal  circumstance  of  his 
life.  Each  circumstance  of  the  career  of  an  apparently 
successful  man  to  be  a  penance  and  torture  to  him  on 
account  of  some  fundamental  error  in  early  life. 

A  person  to  catch  fireflies,  and  try  to  kindle  his 
household  fire  with  them.  It  would  be  symbolical  of 
something. 

Thanksgiving  at  the  Worcester  Lunatic  Asylum.  A 
ball  and  dance  of  the  inmates  in  the  evening,  —  a  furi 
ous  lunatic  dancing  with  the  principal's  wife.  Thanks 
giving  in  an  almshouse  might  make  a  better  sketch. 

The  house  on  the  eastern  corner  of  North  and  Essex 
Streets   [Salem],  supposed  to  have  been  built  about 
1640,  had,  say  sixty  years  later,  *  brick  turret  erected, 
9* 


202  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1833. 

wherein  one  of  the  ancestors  of  the  present  occupants 
used  to  practise  alchemy.  He  was  the  operative  of  a 
scientific  person  in  Boston,  the  director.  There  have 
been  other  alchemists  of  old  in  this  town,  —  one  who 
kept  his  fire  burning  seven  weeks,  and  then  lost  the 
elixir  by  letting  it  go  out. 

An  ancient  wineglass  (Miss  Ingersol's),  long-stalked, 
with  a  small,  cup-like  bowl,  round  which  is  wreathed  a 
branch  of  grape-vine,  with  a  rich  cluster  of  grapes,  and 
leaves  spread  out.  There  is  also  some  kind  of  a  bird 
flying.  The  whole  is  excellently  cut  or  engraved. 

In  the  Duke  of  Buckingham's  comedy  "  The 
Chances,"  Don  Frederic  says  of  Don  John  (they  are 
two  noble  Spanish  gentlemen),  "  One  bed  contains  us 
ever." 

A  person,  while  awake  and  in  the  business  of  life,  to 
think  highly  of  another,  and  place  perfect  confidence  in 
him,  but  to  be  troubled  with  dreams  in  which  this  seem 
ing  friend  appears  to  act  the  part  of  a  most  deadly  en 
emy.  Finally  it  is  discovered  that  the  dream-character 
is  the  true  one.  The  explanation  would  be  —  the  soul's 
instinctive  perception. 

Pandora's  box  for  a  child's  story. 
Moonlight  is  sculpture ;  sunlight  is  painting. 

"  A  person  to  look  back  on  a  long  life  ill-spent,  and 
to  picture  forth  a  beautiful  life  which  he  would  live, 


J839.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  203 

if  h«i  could  be  permitted  to  begin  his  life  over  again. 
Finally  to  discover  that  he  had  only  been  dreaming  of 
old  age,  —  that  he  was  really  young,  and  could  live 
such  a  life  as  he  had  pictured." 

A  newspaper,  purporting  to  be  published  in  a  family, 
and  satirizing  the  political  and  general  world  by  adver 
tisements,  remarks  on  domestic  affairs,  —  advertisement 
of  a  lady's*  lost  thimble,  &c. 

L.  H .    She  was  unwilling  to  die,  because  she  had 

no  friends  to  meet  her  in  the  other  world.  Her  little 
son  F.  being  very  ill,  on  his  recovery  she  confessed  a 
feeling  of  disappointment,  having  supposed  that  he  would 
have  gone  before,  and  welcomed  her  into  heaven  ! 

H.  L.  C heard  from  a  French  Canadian  a  story 

of  a  young  couple  in  Acadie.  On  their  marriage  day,  all 
the  men  of  the  Province  were  summoned  to  assemble 
in  the  church  to  hear  a  proclamation.  When  assem 
bled,  they  were  all  seized  and  shipped  off  to  be  dis 
tributed  through  New  England,  —  among  them  the  new 
bridegroom.  His  bride  set  off  in  search  of  him, — 
wandered  about  New  England  all  her  lifetime,  and  at 
last,  when  she  was  old,  she  found  her  bridegroom  on 
his  death-bed.  The  shock  was  so  great  that  it  killed 
her  likewise. 

January  4th,  1839.  —  When  scattered  clouds  are 
resting  on  the  bosoms  of  hills,  it  seems  as  if  one  might 
climb  into  the  heavenly  region,  earth  being  so  inter 
mixed  with  sky,  and  gradually  transformed  into  it. 


204  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [l83(J. 

A  stranger,  dying,  is  buried ;  and  after  many  years 
two  strangers  come  in  search  of  his  grave,  and  open 
it. 

The  strange  sensation  of  a  person  who  feels  himself 
an  object  of  deep  interest,  and  close  observation,  and 
various  construction  of  all  his  actions,  by  another  per 
son. 

• 

Letters  in  the  shape  of  figures  of  men,  &c.  At  a 
distance,  the  words  composed  by  the  letters  are  alone 
distinguishable.  Close  at  hand,  the  figures  alone  are 
seen,  and  not  distinguished  as  letters.  Thus  things  may 
have  a  positive,  a  relative,  and  a  composite  meaning, 
according  to  the  point  of  view. 

"  Passing  along  the  street,  all  muddy  with  puddles, 
and  suddenly  seeing  the  sky  reflected  in  these  puddles 
in  such  a  way  as  quite  to  conceal  the  foulness  of  the 
street." 

A  young  man  in  search  of  happiness,  —  to  be  per 
sonified  by  a  figure  whom  he  expects  to  meet  in  a 
crowd,  and  is  to  be  recognized  by  certain  signs.  All 
these  signs  are  given  by  a  figure  in  various  garbs  and 
actions,  but  he  does  not  recognize  that  this  is  the 
sought-for  person  till  too  late. 

If  cities  were  built  by  the  sound  of  music,  then  some 
edifices  would  appear  to  be  constructed  by  grave,  sol 
emn  tones,  —  others  to  have  danced  forth  to  light,  fan 
tastic  airs. 


1839.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  205 

Familiar  spirits,  according  to  Lilly,  used  to  be  worn 
in  rings,  watches,  sword-hilts.  Thumb-rings  were  set 
with  jewels  of  extraordinary  size. 

A  very  fanciful  person,  when  dead,  to  have  his  burial 
in  a  cloud. 

"  A  story  there  passeth  of  an  Indian  king  that  sent 
unto  Alexander  a  fair  woman,  fed  with  aconite  and 
other  poisons,  with  this  intent  complexionally  to  destroy 
him  ! "  —  Sir  T.  Browne. 

Dialogues  of  the  unborn,  like  dialogues  of  the  dead,  — • 
or  between  two  young  children. 

A  mortal  symptom  for  a  person  being  to  lose 
his  own  aspect  and  to  take  the  family  lineaments, 
which  were  hidden  deep  in  the  healthful  visage. 
Perhaps  a  seeker  might  thus  recognize  the  man  he 
had  sought,  after  long  intercourse  with  him  unk«ow- 
ingly. 

Some  moderns  to  build  a  fire  on  Ararat  with  the 
remnants  of  the  ark. 

Two  little  boats  of  cork,  with  a  magnet  in  one  and 
steel  in  the  other. 

To  have  ice  in  one's  blood. 

To  make  a  story  of  all  strange  and  impossible  things, 
—  as  the  Salamander,  the  Phoenix. 


206  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840, 

The  semblance  of  a  human  face  to  be  formed  on  the 
side  of  a  mountain,  or  in  the  fracture  of  a  small  stone, 
by  a  lusus  naturce.  The  face  is  an  object  of  curiosity 
for  years  or  centuries,  and  by  and  by  a  boy  is  born, 
whose  features  gradually  assume  the  aspect  of  that  por 
trait.  At  some  critical  juncture,  the  resemblance  is 
found  to  be  perfect.  A  prophecy  may  be  connected. 

A  person  to  be  the  death  of  his  beloved  in  trying  to 
raise  her  to  more  than  mortal  perfection;  yet  this 
should  be  a  comfort  to  him  for  having  aimed  so  highly 
and  holily. 

1840.  —  A  man,  unknown,  conscious  of  temptation  to 
secret  crimes,  puts  up  a  note  in  church,  desiring  the 
prayers  of  the  congregation  for  one  so  tempted. 

Some  most  secret  thing,  valued  and  honored  between 
lovers,  to  be  hung  up  in  public  places,  and  made  the 
'   subject  of  remark  by  the  city,  —  remarks,  sneers,  and 
laughter. 

To  make  a  story  out  of  a  scarecrow,  giving  it  odd 
attributes.  From  different  points  of  view,  it  should 
appear  to  change,  —  now  an  old  man,  now  an  old  wo 
man,  —  a  gunner,  a  farmer,  or  the  Old  Nick. 

A  ground-sparrow's  nest  in  the  slope  of  a  bank, 
brought  to  view  by  mowing  the  grass,  but  still  sheltered 
and  comfortably  hidden  by  a  blackberry-vine  trailing 
over  it.  At  first,  four  brown-speckled  eggs,  —  then 
two  little  bare  young  ones,  which,  on  the  slightest  noise, 


1840.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  207 

lift  their  heads,  and  open  wide  mouths  for  food,  — 
immediately  dropping  their  heads,  after  a  broad  gape. 
The  action  looks  as  if  they  were  making  a  most  earnest, 
agonized  petition.  In  another  egg,  as  in  a  coffin.  I 
could  discern  the  quiet,  death-like  form  of  the  little  bird. 
The  whole  thing  had  something  awful  and  mysterious 
in  it. 

A  coroner's  inquest  on  a  murdered  man,  —  the  gath 
ering  of  the  jury  to  be  described,  and  the  characters  of 
the  members,  —  some  with  secret  guilt  upon  their  souls. 

To  represent  a  man  as  spending  life  and  the  in  tens 
est  labor  in  the  accomplishment  of  some  mechanical  tri 
fle,  —  as  in  making  a  miniature  coach  to  be  drawn  by 
fleas,  or  a  dinner-service  to  be  put  into  a  cherry-stone. 

A  bonfire  to  be  made  of  the  gallows  and  of  all  sym 
bols  of  evil. 

The  love  of  posterity  is  a  consequence  of  the  neces 
sity  of  death.  If  a  man  were  sure  of  living  forever 
here,  he  would  not  care  about  his  offspring. 

The  device  of  a  sundial  for  a  monument  over  a  grave, 
with  some  suitable  motto. 

A  man  with  the  right  perception  of  things,  —  a  feel 
ing  within  him  of  what  is  true  and  what  is  false.  It 
might  be  symbolized  by  the  talisman  with  which,  in  fairy 
tales,  an  adventurer  was  enabled  to  distinguish  enchant 
ments  from  realities. 


208  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1539. 

A  phantom  of  the  old  royal  governors,  or  some  such 
shadowy  pageant,  on  the  night  of  the  evacuation  of  Bos 
ton  by  the  British. 

taking  my  likeness,  I  said  that  such  changes 

would  come  over  my  face  that  she  would  not  know 
me  when  we  met  again  in  heaven.  "See  if  I  do 
Dot ! "  said  she,  smiling.  There  was  the  most  peculiar 
and  beautiful  humor  in  the  point  itself,  and  in  her  man 
ner,  that  can  be  imagined. 

Little  F.  H used  to  look  into  E 's  mouth  to 

see  where  her  smiles  came  from. 

"  There  is  no  Measure  for  Measure  to  my  affections. 
If  the  earth  fails  me,  I  can  die,  and  go  to  GOD," 
said . 

Selfishness  is  one  of  the  qualities  apt  to  inspire  love, 
is  might  be  thought  out  at  great  length. 

[EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  PRIVATE  LETTERS.] 

Boston,  July  3d,  1839.  —  I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that 
I  am  unhappy  or  discontented,  for  this  is  not  the  case. 
My  life  only  is  a  burden  in  the  same  way  that  it  is  to 
every  toilsome  man ;  and  mine  is  a  healthy  weariness, 
such  as  needs  only  a  night's  sleep  to  remove  it.  But 
from  henceforth  forever  I  shall  be  entitled  to  call  the 
sons  of  toil  my  brethren,  and  shall  know  how  to  sympa 
thize  with  them,  seeing  that  I  likewise  have  risen  at 
the  dawn,  and  borne  the  fervor  of  the  midday  sun,  no* 


1840.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  20C 

turned  my  heavy  footsteps  homeward  till  eventide. 
Years  hence,  perhaps,  the  experience  that  my  heart  is 
acquiring  now  will  flow  out  in  truth  and  wisdom. 

August  27th.  —  I  have  been  stationed  all  day  at  the 
end  of  Long  Wharf,  and  I  rather  think  that  I  had  the 
most  eligible  situation  of  anybody  in  Boston.  I  was  aware 
that  it  must  be  intensely  hot  in  the  midst  of  the  city  ;  but 
there  was  only  a  short  space  of  uncomfortable  heat  in  my 
region,  half-way  towards  the  centre  of  the  harbor ;  and 
almost  all  the  time  there  was  a  pure  and  delightful  breeze, 
fluttering  and  palpitating,  sometimes  shyly  kissing  my 
brow,  then  dying  away,  and  then  rushing  upon  me  in 
livelier  sport,  so  that  I  was  fain  to  settle  my  straw  hat 
more  tightly  upon  my  head.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  there 
was  a  sunny  shower,  which  came  down  so  like  a  benedic 
tion  that  it  seemed  ungrateful  to  take  shelter  in  the 
cabin  or  to  put  up  an  umbrella.  Then  there  was  a  rain 
bow,  or  a  large  segment  of  one,  so  exceedingly  brilliant 
and  of  such  long  endurance  that  I  almost  fancied  it  was 
stained  into  the  sky,  and  would  continue  there  perma 
nently.  And  there  were  clouds  floating  all  about, — 
great  clouds  and  small,  of  all  glorious  and  lovely  hues 
(save  that  imperial  crimson  which  was  revealed  to  our 
united  gaze),  —  so.  glorious  indeed,  and  so  lovely,  that  I 
had  a  fantasy  of  heaven's  being  broken  into  fleecy  frag 
ments  and  dispersed  through  space,  with  its  blest  in 
habitants  dwelling  blissfully  upon  those  scattered  isl 
ands. 

February  7th,  1840.  — -  What  beautiful  weather  this  is ! 
—  beautiful,  at  least,  so  far  as  sun,  sky,  and  atmosphere 

x 


210  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [_1840 

are  concerned,  though  a  poor,  wingless  biped  is  some 
times  constrained  to  wish  that  he  could  raise  himself  a 
little  above  the  earth.  How  much  mud  and  mire,  how 
many  pools  of  unclean  water,  how  many  slippery  foot 
steps,  and  perchance  heavy  tumbles,  might  be  avoided,  if 
we  could  tread  but  six  inches  above  the  crust  of  this 
world.  Physically  we  cannot  do  this ;  our  bodies  can 
not  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  our  hearts  and  minds  may 
keep  themselves  above  moral  mud-puddles  and  other 
discomforts  of  the  soul's  pathway. 

February  llth.  —  I  have  been  measuring  coal  all  day, 
on  board  of  a  black  little  British  schooner,  in  a  dismal 
dock  at  the  north  end  of  the  city.  Most  of  the  time  I 
paced  the  deck  to  keep  myself  warm  ;  for  the  wind 
(northeast,  I  believe)  blew  up  through  the  dock,  as  if  it 
had  been  the  pipe  of  a  pair  of  bellows.  The  vessel  ly 
ing  deep  between  two  wharfs,  there  was  no  more  de 
lightful  prospect,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  than 
the  posts  and  timbers,  half  immersed  in  the  water,  and 
covered  with  ice,  which  the  rising  and  falling  of  suc 
cessive  tides  had  left  upon  them,  so  that  they  looked 
like  immense  icicles.  Across  the  water,  however,  not 
more  than  half  a  mile  off,  appeared  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument ;  and  what  interested  me  considerably  more, 
a  church-steeple,  with  the  dial  of  a  clock  upon  it,  where 
by  I  was  enabled  to  measure  the  march  of  the  weary 
hours.  Sometimes  I  descended  into  the  dirty  little 
cabin  of  the  schooner,  and  warmed  myself  by  a  red-hot 
stove,  among  biscuit  barrels,  pots  and  kettles,  sea-chests, 
and  innumerable  lumber  of  all  sorts, — my  olfactories, 
meanwhile,  being  greatly  refreshed  by  the  odor  af  a 


1840.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  211 

pipe,  which  the  captain,  or  some  one  of  his  crew,  was 
smoking.  But  at  last  came  the  sunset,  with  delicate 
clouds,  and  a  purple  light  upon  the  islands ;  and  1 
blessed  it,  because  it  was  the  signal  of  my  release. 

February  12th.  —  All  day  long  again  have  I  been 
engaged  in  a  very  black  business,  —  as  black  as  a  coal ; 
and,  though  my  face  and  hands  have  undergone  a 
thorough  purification,  I  feel  not  altogether  fit  to  hold 
communion  with  doves.  Methinks  my  profession  is 
somewhat  akin  to  that  of  a  chimney-sweeper ;  but  the 
latter  has  the  advantage  over  me,  because,  after  climb 
ing  up  through  the  darksome  flue  of  the  chimney,  he 
emerges  into  the  midst  of  the  golden  air,  and  sings  out 
his  melodies  far  over  the  heads  of  the  whole  tribe  of 
weary  earth-plodders.  My  toil  to-day  has  been  cold 
and  dull  enough ;  nevertheless,  I  was  neither  cold  nor 
dull. 

March  15th.  —  I  pray  that  in  one  year  more  I  may 
find  some  way  of  escaping  from  this  unblest  Custom 
House  ;  for  it  is  a  very  grievous  thraldom.  I  do  detest 
all  offices,  —  all,  at  least,  that  are  held  on  a  political 
tenure.  And  I  want  nothing  to  do  with  politicians. 
Their  hearts  wither  away,  and  die  out  of  their  bodies. 
Their  consciences  are  turned  to  india-rubber,  or  to  some 
substance  as  black  as  that,  and  which  will  stretch  as 
much.  One  thing,  if  no  more,  I  have  gained  by  my 
custom-house  experience,  —  to  know  a  politician.  It 
is  a  knowledge  which  no  previous  thought  or  power  of 
sympathy  could  have  taught  me,  because  the  animal,  or 
the  machine  rather,  is  not  in  nature. 


212  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840. 

March  23d.  —  I  do  think  that  it  is  the  doom  laid 
upon  me,  of  murdering  so  many  of  the  brightest  hours 
of  the  day  at  the  Custom  House,  that  makes  such  havoc 
with  my  wits,  for  here  I  am  again  trying  to  write 
worthily,  ....  yet  with  a  sense  as  if  all  the  noblest 
part  of  man  had  been  left  out  of  my  composition,  or 
had  decayed  out  of  it  since  my  nature  was  given  to  my 
own  keeping Never  comes  any  bird  of  Para 
dise  into  that  dismal  region.  A  salt  or  even  a  coal  ship 
is  ten  million  times  preferable ;  for  there  the  sky  is 
above  me,  and  the  fresh  breeze  around  me,  and  my 
thoughts,  having  hardly  anything  to  do  with  my  occupa 
tion,  are  as  free  as  air. 

Nevertheless,  you  are  not  to  fancy  that  the  above 
paragraph  gives  a  correct  idea  of  my  mental  and  spiritual 

state It  is  only  once  in  a  while  that  the  image 

and  desire  of  a  better  and  happier  life  makes  me  feel 
the  iron  of  my  chain ;  for,  after  all,  a  human  spirit  may 
find  no  insufficiency  of  food  fit  for  it,  even  in  the  Custom 
House.  And,  with  such  materials  as  these,  I  do  think 
and  feel  and  learn  things  that  are  worth  knowing,  and 
which  I  should  not  know  unless  I  had  learned  them 
there,  so  that  the  present  portion  of  my  life  shall  not  be 
quite  left  out  of  the  sum  of  my  real  existence.  ...  It  is 
good  for  me,  on  many  accounts,  that  my  life  has  had 
this  passage  in  it.  I  know  much  more  than  I  did  a  year 
ago.  I  have  a  stronger  sense  of  power  to  act  as  a  man 
among  men.  I  have  gained  worldly  wisdom,  and  wisdom 
also  that  is  not  altogether  of  this  world.  And,  when  I 
quit  this  earthly  cavern*where  T  am  now  buried,  nothing 
will  cling  to  me  that  ought  to  be  left  behind.  Men  will 
not  perceive,  I  trust,  by  my  look,  or  the  tenor  of  my 


1840.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  213 

thoughts  and  feelings,  that  I  have  been  a  custom-house 
officer. 

April  1th.  —  It  appears  to  me  to  have  been  the  most 
uncomfortable  day  that  ever  was  inflicted  on  poor  mor 
tals Besides  the  bleak,  unkindly  air,  I  have 

been  plagued  by  two  sets  of  coal-shovellers  at  the  same 
time,  and  have  been  obliged  to  keep  two  separate  tallies 
simultaneously.  But  I  was  conscious  that  all  this  was 
merely  a  vision  and  a  fantasy,  and  that,  in  reality,  I 
was  not  half  frozen  by  the  bitter  blast,  nor  tormented 
by  those  grimy  coal-heavers,  but  that  I  was  basking 

quietly  in  the  sunshine  of  eternity Any  sort  of 

bodily  and  earthly  torment  may  serve  to  make  us  sensi 
ble  that  we  have  a  soul  that  is  not  within  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  such  shadowy  demons,  —  it  separates  the  immor 
tal  within  us  from  the  mortal.  But  the  wind  has  blown 
my  brains  into  such  confusion  that  I  cannot  philosophize 
now. 

April  l$th.  —  ....  What  a  beautiful  day  was  yes 
terday  !  My  spirit  rebelled  against  being  confined  in 
my  darksome  dungeon  at  the  Custom  House.  It 
seemed  a  sin,  —  a  murder  of  the  joyful  young  day,  —  a 
quenching  of  the  sunshine.  Nevertheless,  there  I  was 
kept  a  prisoner  till  it  was  too  late  to  fling  myself  on  a 

gentle  wind,  and  be  blown  away  into  the  country 

When  I  shall  be  again  free,  I  will  enjoy  all  things  with 
the  fresh  simplicity  of  a  child  of  five  years  old.  I  shall 
grow  young  again,  made  all  over  anew.  I  will  go  forth 
and  stand  in  a  summer  shower,  and  all  the  worldly  dust 
that  has  collected  on  me  shall  be  washed  away  at  once, 


214  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840. 

and  my  heart  will  be  like  a  bank  of  fresh  flowers  for  the 

weary  to  rest  upon 

Q  p.  M.  —  I  went  out  to  walk  about  an  hour  ago,  and 
found  it  very  pleasant,  though  there  was  a  somewhat 
cool  wind.  I  went  round  and  across  the  Common,  and 
stood  on  the  highest  point  of  it,  where  I  could  see  miles 
and  miles  into  the  country.  Blessed  be  God  for  this 
green  tract,  and  the  view  which  it  affords,  whereby  we 
poor  citizens  may  be  put  in  mind,  sometimes,  that  all 
his  earth  is  not  composed  of  blocks  of  brick  houses,  and 
of  stone  or  wooden  pavements.  Blessed  be  God  for  the 
sky  too,  though  the  smoke  of  the  city  may  somewhat 
change  its  aspect,  —  but  still  it  is  better  than  if  each 
street  were  covered  over  with  a  roof.  There  were  a 
good  many  people  walking  on  the  mall, —  mechanics 
apparently,  and  shopkeepers'  clerks,  with  their  wives ; 
and  boys  were  rolling  on  the  grass,  and  I  would  have 
liked  to  lie  down  and  roll  too. 

April  30th.  — ....  I  arose  this  morning  feeling 
more  elastic  than  I  have  throughout  the  winter ;  for  the 
breathing  of  the  ocean  air  has  wrought  a  very  beneficial 
effect What  a  beautiful,  most  beautiful  after 
noon  this  has  been !  It  was  a  real  happiness  to  live 
If  I  had  been  merely  a  vegetable,  —  a  hawthorn-bush, 
for  instance,  —  I  must  have  been  happy  in  such  an  air 
and  sunshine ;  but,  having  a  mind  and  a  soul,  .... 
I  enjoyed  somewhat  more  than  mere  vegetable  happi 
ness The  footsteps  of  May  can  be  traced  upon 

the  islands  in  the  harbor,  and  I  have  been  watching  the 
tints  of  green  upon  them  gradually  deepening,  till  now 
they  are  almost  as  beautiful  as  they  ever  can  be. 


IS40.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  215 

May  \$th.  — .  .  .  .  Lights  and  shadows  are  contin 
ually  flitting  across  my  inward  sky,  and  I  know  neither 
whence  they  come  nor  whither  they  go  ;  nor  do  I  inquire 
too  closely  into  them.  It  is  dangerous  to  look  too  mi 
nutely  into  such  phenomena.  It  is  apt  to  create  a  sub 
stance  where  at  first  there  was  a  mere  shadow If 

at  any  time  there  should  seem  to  be  an  expression  unin 
telligible  from  one  soul  to  another,  it  is  best  not  to  strive 
to  interpret  it  in  earthly  language,  but  wait  for  the  soul  to 
make  itself  understood ;  and,  were  we  to  wait  a  thousand 
years,  we  need  deem  it  no  more  time  than  we  can  spare. 
....  It  is  not  that  I  have  any  love  of  mystery,  but 
because  I  abhor  it,  and  because  I  have  often  felt  that 
words  may  be  a  thick  and  darksome  veil  of  mystery 
between  the  soul  and  the  truth  which  it  seeks.  Wretched 
were  we,  indeed,  if  we  had  no  better  means  of  commu 
nicating  ourselves,  no  fairer  garb  in  which  to  array  our 
essential  being,  than  these  poor  rags  and  tatters  of  Babel. 
Yet  words  are  not  without  their  use  even  for  purposes 
of  explanation,  —  but  merely  for  explaining  outward 
acts  and  all  sorts  of  external  things,  leaving  the  soul's 
life  and  action  to  explain  itself  in  its  own  way. 

What  a  misty  disquisition  I  have  scribbled!  I 
would  not  read  it  over  for  sixpence. 


May  29/A.  —  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  am  free  from  a 
load  of  coal  which  has  been  pressing  upon  my  shoul 
ders  throughout  all  the  hot  weather.  I  am  convinced 
that  Christian's  burden  consisted  of  coal ;  and  no  won 
der  he  felt  so  much  relieved,  when  it  fell  off  and  rolled 
into  the  sepulchre.  His  load,  however,  at  the  ut 
most,  could  not  have  been  more  than  a  few  bushels, 


-\ 


216  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840. 

whereas  mine  was  exactly  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
chaldrons  and  seven  tubs. 

May  30th.  — .  ...  On  board  my  salt-vessels  and  col 
liers  there  are  many  things  happening,  many  pictures 
which,  in  future  years,  when  I  am  again  busy  at  the  loom 
of  fiction,  I  could  weave  in  ;  but  my  fancy  is  rendered  so 
torpid  by  my  ungenial  way  of  life  that  I  cannot  sketch 
off  the  scenes  and  portraits  that  interest  me,  and  I  am 
forced  to  trust  them  to  my  memory,  with  the  hope  of 
recalling  them  at  some  more  favorable  period.  For 
these  three  or  four  days  I  have  been  observing  a  little 
Mediterranean  boy  from  Malaga,  not  more  than  ten  or 
eleven  years  old,  but  who  is  already  a  citizen  of  the 
world,  and  seems  to  be  just  as  gay  and  contented  on 
the  deck  of  a  Yankee  coal-vessel  as  he  could  be 
while  playing  beside  his  mother's  door.  It  is  really 
touching  to  see  how  free  and  happy  he  is,  —  how  the 
little  fellow  takes  the  whole  wide  world  for  his  home, 
and  all  mankind  for  his  family.  Pie  talks  Spanish,  — 
at  least  that  is  his  native  tongue ;  but  he  is  also  very 
intelligible  in  English,  and  perhaps  he  likewise  ha* 
smatterings  of  the  speech  of  other  countries,  whither 
the  winds  may  have  wafted  this  little  sea-bird.  He  is 
a  Catholic  ;  and  yesterday  being  Friday  he  caught  somy 
fish  and  fried  them  for  his  dinner  in  sweet-oil,  and 
really  they  looked  so  delicate  that  I  almost  wished  he 
would  invite  me  to  partake.  Every  once  in  a  while  he 
undresses  himself  and  leaps  overboard,  plunging  down 
beneath  the  waves  as  if  the  sea  were  as  native  to  him 
as  the  earth.  Then  he  runs  up  the  rigging  of  the  ves 
sel  as  if  he  meant  to  fly  away  through  the  air.  I  must 


J840.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  217 

remember  this  little  boy,  and  perhaps  I  may  make 
something  more  beautiful  of  him  than  these  rough  and 
imperfect  touches  would  promise. 

June  11  Hi.  — .  .  .  .  I  could  wish  that  the  east  wind 
would  blow  every  day  from  ten  o'clock  till  five;  for 
there  is  great  refreshment  in  it  to  us  poor  mortals  that 
toil  beneath  the  sun.  We  must  not  think  too  unkindly 
even  of  the  east  wind.  It  is  not,  perhaps,  a  wind  to  be 
loved,  even  in  its  benignest  moods  ;  but  there  are  seasons 
when  I  delight  to  feel  its  breath  upon  my  cheek,  though 
it  be  never  advisable  to  throw  open  my  bosom  and  take 
it  into  my  heart,  as  I  would  its  gentle  sisters  of  the 
south  and  west.  To-day,  if  I  had  been  on  the  wharves, 
the  slight  chill  of  an  east  wind  would  have  been  a 
blessing,  like  the  chill  of  death  to  a  world-weary  man. 

....  But  this  has  been  one  of  the  idlest  days  that  I 

ever  spent  in  Boston In  the  morning,  soon  after 

breakfast,  I  went  to  the  Athenaeum  gallery,  and,  during 
the  hour  or  two  that  I  stayed,  not  a  single  visitor  came 
in.  Some  people  were  putting  up  paintings  in  one 
division  ot  the  room ;  but  I  had  the  other  all  to  my 
self.  There  are  two  pictures  there  by  our  friend  Sarah 
Clarke,  —  scenes  in  Kentucky. 

From  the  picture-gallery  I  went  to  the  reading- 
rooms  of  the  Athenaeum,  and  there  read  the  magazines 
till  nearly  twelve ;  thence  to  the  Custom  House,  and 
soon  afterwards  to  dinner  with  Colonel  Hall ;  then 
back  to  the  Custom  House,  but  only  for  a  little  while. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  world  to  do,  and  so  at  two 
o'clock  I  came  home  and  lay  down,  with  the  Faerie 
Queene  in  my  hand. 

VOL.    I.  10 


218  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840. 

August  21. —  Last  night  I  slept  like  a  child  of  five 
years  old,  and  had  no  dreams  at  all,  —  unless  just  be 
fore  it  was  time  to  rise,  and  I  have  forgotten  what  those 
dreams  were.  After  I  was  fairly  awake  this  morning, 
I  felt  very  bright  and  airy,  and  was  glad  that  I  had 
been  compelled  to  snatch  two  additional  hours  of  exist 
ence  from  annihilation.  The  sun's  disk  was  but  half 
above  the  ocean's  verge  when  I  ascended  the  ship's  side. 
These  early  morning  hours  are  very  lightsome  and 
quiet.  Almost  the  whole  day  I  have  been  in  the  shade, 
reclining  on  a  pile  of  sails,  so  that  the  life  and  spirit  are 

not  entirely  worn  out  of  me The  wind  has  been 

east  this  afternoon,  —  perhaps  in  the  forenoon,  too,  —  and 
I  could  not  help  feeling  refreshed,  when  the  gentle  chill 
of  its  breath  stole  over  my  cheek.  I  would  fain  abom 
inate  the  east  wind,  ....  but  it  persists  in  doing  me 
kindly  offices  now  and  then.  What  a  perverse  wind  it 
is  !  Its  refreshment  is  but  another  mode  of  torment. 

Salem,  Oct.  4th.  Union  Street  [Family  Mansion].  — 
....  Here  I  sit  in  my  old  accustomed  chamber, 

where  I  used  to  sit  in  days  gone  by Here  I  have 

written  many  tales,  —  many  that  have  been  burned  to 
ashes,  many  that  doubtless  deserved  the  same  fate. 
This  claims  to  be  called  a  haunted  chamber,  for  thou 
sands  upon  thousands  of  visions  have  appeared  to  me 
in  it ;  and  some  few  of  them  have  become  visible  to  the 
world.  If  ever  I  should  have  a  biographer,  he  ought  to 
make  great  mention  of  this  chamber  in  my  memoirs, 
because  so  much  of  my  lonely  youth  was  wasted  here, 
and  here  my  mind  and  character  were  formed;  and 
here  I  have  been  glad  and  hopeful,  and  here  I  have  been 


1840.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  219 

despondent.  And  here  I  sat  a  long,  long  time,  waiting 
patiently  for  the  world  to  know  me,  and  sometimes  won 
dering  why  it  did  not  know  me  sooner,  or  whether  it  would 
ever  know  me  at  all,  —  at  least,  till  I  were  in  my  grave. 
And  sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  I  were  already  in  the 
grave,  with  only  life  enough  to  be  chilled  and  benumbed. 
But  oftener  I  was  happy,  —  at  least,  as  happy  as  I  then 
knew  how  to  be,  or  was  aware  of  the  possibility  of 
being.  By  and  by,  the  world  found  me  out  in  my  lonely 
chamber,  and  called  me  forth,  —  not,  indeed,  with  a 
loud  roar  of  acclamation,  but  rather  with  a  still,  small 
voice,  —  and  forth  I  went,  but  found  nothing  in  the 
world  that  I  thought  preferable  to  my  old  solitude  till 

now And  now  I  begin  to  understand  why  I  was 

imprisoned  so  many  years  in  this  lonely  chamber,  and 
why  I  could  never  break  through  the  viewless  bolts 
and  bars  ;  for  if  I  had  sooner  made  my  escape  into  the 
world,  I  should  have  grown  hard  and  rough,  and  been 
covered  with  earthly  dust,  and  my  heart  might  have 
become  callous  by  rude  encounters  with  the  multi 
tude But  living  in  solitude  till  the  fulness  of 

time  was  come,  I  still  kept  the  dew  of  my  youth  and 

the  freshness  of  my  heart I  used  to  think  I  could 

imagine  all  passions,  all  feelings,  and  states  of  the  heart 
and  mind ;  but  how  little  did  I  know !  .  .  .  .  Indeed,  we 
are  but  shadows;  we  are  not  endowed  with  real  life, 
and  all  that  seems  most  real  about  us  is  but  the  thin 
nest  substance  of  a  dream,  —  till  the  heart  be  touched. 
That  touch  creates  us,  —  then  we  begin  to  be,  —  there 
by  we  are  beings  of  reality  and  inheritors  of  eternity.  . . . 

When  we    shall    be    endowed   with    our    spiritual 


220  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1840. 

bodies,  I  think  that  they  will  be  so  constituted  that  we 
may  send  thoughts  and  feelings  any  distance  in  no  time 
at  all,  and  transfuse  them  warm  and  fresh  into  the  con 
sciousness  of  those  whom  we  love But,  after  all, 

perhaps  it  is  not  wise  to  intermix  fantastic  ideas  with 
the  reality  of  affection.  Let  us  content  ourselves  to  be 
earthly  creatures,  and  hold  communion  of  spirit  in  such 
modes  as  are  ordained  to  us 

I  was  not  at  the  end  of  Long  Wharf  to-day,  but 
in  a  distant  region,  —  my  authority  having  been  put 
in  requisition  to  quell  a  rebellion  of  the  captain  and 
"  gang "  of  shovellers  aboard  a  coal- vessel.  I  would 
you  could  have  beheld  the  awful  sternness  of  my  visage 
and  demeanor  in  the  execution  of  this  momentous  duty. 
Well,  —  I  have  conquered  the  rebels,  and  proclaimed 
an  amnesty ;  so  to-morrow  I  shall  return  to  that  para 
dise  of  measurers,  the  end  of  Long  Wharf,  —  not  to 
my  former  salt-ship,  she  being  now  discharged,  but  to 
another,  which  will  probably  employ  me  wellnigh  a 

fortnight  longer Salt  is  white  and  pure,  —  there 

is  something  holy  in  salt 

I  have  observed  that  butterflies  —  very  broad-winged 
and  magnificent  butterflies  —  frequently  come  on  board 
of  the  salt-ship,  where  I  am  at  work.  What  have 
these  bright  strangers  to  do  on  Long  Wharf,  where  there 
are  no  flowers  nor  any  green  thing, — nothing  but 
brick  storehouses,  stone  piers,  black  ships,  and  the  bus 
tle  of  toilsome  men,  who  neither  look  up  to  the  blue  sky, 
nor  take  note  of  these  wandering  gems  of  the  air  ?  I 
cannot  account  for  them,  unless  they  are  the  lovely  fan 
tasies  of  the  mind. 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  221 

November.  —  ...  How  delightfully  long  the  evenings 
are  now  !  I  do  not  get  intolerably  tired  any  longer, 
and  my  thoughts  sometimes  wander  back  to  literature, 
and  I  have  momentary  impulses  to  write  stories.  But 
this  will  not  be  at  present.  The  utmost  that  I  can  hope 
to  do  will  be  to  portray  some  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  life  which  I  am  now  living,  and  of  the  people  with 

whom  I  am  brought  into  contact,  for  future  use 

The  days  are  cold  now,  the  air  eager  and  nipping,  yet 
it  suits  my  health  amazingly.  I  feel  as  if  I  could  run  a 
hundred  miles  at  a  stretch,  and  jump  over  all  the  houses 
that  happen  to  be  in  my  way 

I  have  never  had  the  good  luck  to  profit  much, 
or  indeed  any,  by  attending  lectures,  so  that  I  think  the 
ticket  had  better  be  bestowed  on  somebody  who  can 

listen  to  Mr. more  worthily.  My  evenings  are 

very  precious  to  me,  and  some  of  them  are  unavoidably 
thrown  away  in  paying  or  receiving  visits,  or  in  writing 
letters  of  business,  and  therefore  I  prize  the  lest  as  if 
the  sands  of  the  hour-glass  were  gold  or  diamond  dust. 

I  was  invited  to  dine  at  Mr.  Bancroft's  yesterday  with 
Miss  Margaret  Fuller  ;  but  Providence  had  g  ven  me 
gome  business  to  do,  for  which  I  was  very  thankful. 

Is  not  this  a  beautiful  morning?  The  sun  sLines 
into  my  soul. 

April,,  1841.  — .  ...  I  have  been  busy  all  day,  from 
early  breakfast-time  till  late  in  the  afternoon  ;  and  old 
Father  Time  has  gone  onward  somewhat  less  heavily 
than  is  his  wont  when  I  am  imprisoned  within  the  walls 
of  the  Custom  House.  It  has  been  a  brisk,  breezy  day, 


222  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [J841. 

an  effervescent  atmosphere,  and  I  have  enjoyed  it  in 
all  its  freshness,  —  breathing  air  which  had  not  been 
breathed  in  advance  by  the  hundred  thousand  pairs  of 
lungs  which  have  common  and  indivisible  property  in 
the  atmosphere  of  this  great  city.  My  breath  had  never 
belonged  to  anybody  but  me.  It  came  fresh  from  the 

wilderness  of  ocean It  was  exhilarating  to  see  the 

vessels,  how  they  bounded  over  the  waves,  while  a  sheet 
of  foam  broke  out  around  them.  I  found  a  good  deal 
of  enjoyment,  too,  in  the  busy  scene  around  me  ;  for 
several  vessels  were  disgorging  themselves  (what  an 
unseemly  figure  is  this,  —  "  disgorge,"  quotha,  as  if  the 
vessels  were  sick)  on  the  wharf,  and  everybody  seemed 
to  be  working  with  might  and  main.  It  pleased  me  to 
think  that  I  also  had  a  part  to  act  in  the  material  and 
tangible  business  of  this  life,  and  that  a  portion  of  all 
this  industry  could  not  have  gone  on  without  my  pres 
ence.  Nevertheless,  I  must  not  pride  myself  too  much 
on  my  activity  and  utilitarianism.  I  shall,  doubtless, 
soon  bewail  myself  at  being  compelled  to  earn  my 
bread  by  taking  some  little  share  in  the  toils  of  mortal 
men 

Articulate  words  are  a  harsh  clamor  and  disso 
nance.  When  man  arrives  at  his  highest  perfection, 
he  will  again  be  dumb  !  for  I  suppose  he  was  dumb 
at  the  Creation,  and  must  go  round  an  entire  circle  iu 
order  to  return  to  that  blessed  state. 

END    OF    VOL.    I. 


FLOATING.    See  page  102. 


PASSAGES 


FROM  THE 


AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS 


VOL.   II. 


PASSAGES 


PROM 


HAWTHORNE'S  AMERICAN  NOTE-BOOKS. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  PRIVATE  LETTERS. 

BROOK  FARM,  OAK  HILL,  April  13th,  1841.  — .  .  . 
Here  I  am  in  a  polar  Paradise !  I  know  not  how  to 
interpret  this  aspect  of  nature,  —  whether  it  be  of  good 
or  evil  omen  to  our  enterprise.  But  I  reflect  that  the 
Plymouth  pilgrims  arrived  in  the  midst  of  storm,  and 
stepped  ashore  upon  mountain  snow-drifts ;  and,  never 
theless,  they  prospered,  and  became  a  great  people, — and 
doubtless  it  will  be  the  same  with  us.  I  laud  my  stars, 
however,  that  you  will  not  have  your  first  impressions 
of  (perhaps)  our  future  home  from  such  a  day  as  this. 
....  Through  faith,  I  persist  in  believing  that  Spring 
and  Summer  will  come  in  their  due  season ;  but  the 
unregenerated  man  shivers  within  me,  and  suggests  a 
doubt  whether  I  may  npt  have  wandered  within  the 
precincts  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  chosen  my  heritage 

among  everlasting  snows Provide  yourself  with  a 

good  stock  of  furs,  and,  if  you  can  obtain  the  skin  of  a 
polar  bear,  you  will  find  it  a  very  suitable  summer  dress 
for  this  region 

VOL.   II.  1  A 


2  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

1  have  not  yet  taken  my  first  lesson  in  agricul 
ture,  except  that  I  went  to  see  our  cows  foddered, 
yesterday  afternoon.  We  have  eight  of  our  own  ;  and 
the  number  is  now  increased  by  a  transcendental  heifer 
belonging  to  Miss  Margaret  Fuller.  She  is  very  frac 
tious,  I  believe,  and  apt  to  kick  over  the  milk-pail 

I  intend  to  convert  myself  into  a  milkmaid  this  even 
ing,  but  I  pray  Heaven  that  Mr.  Ripley  may  be  moved 
to  assign  me  the  kindliest  cow  in  the  herd,  otherwise 
I  shall  perform  my  duty  with  fear  and  trembling 

I  like  my  brethren  in  affliction  very  well ;  and,  could 
you  see  us  sitting  round  our  table  at  meal-times,  before 
the  great  kitchen  fire,  you  would  call  it  a  cheerful  sight. 

Mrs.  B is  a  most  comfortable  woman  to  behold. 

She  looks  as  if  her  ample  person  were  stuffed  full  of  ten 
derness,  —  indeed,  as  if  she  were  all  one  great,  kind  heart. 

April  14th,  10  A.  M.  — . ...  I  did  not  milk  the  cows 
last  night,  because  Mr.  Ripley  was  afraid  to  trust  them  to 
my  hands,  or  me  to  their  horns,  I  know  not  which.  But 
this  morning  I  have  done  wonders.  Before  breakfast, 
I  went  out  to  the  barn  and  began  to  chop  hay  for  the 
cattle,  and  with  such  "  righteous  vehemence,"  as  Mr. 
Kipley  says,  did  I  labor,  that  in  the  space  of  ten  min 
utes  I  broke  the  machine.  Then  I  brought  wood  and 
replenished  the  fires ;  and  finally  went  down  to  break 
fast,  and  ate  up  a  huge  mound  of  buckwheat  cakes. 
After  breakfast,  Mr.  Ripley  put  a  four  pronged-instru 
ment  into  my  hands,  which  he  gave  me  to  understand 
was  called  a  pitchfork ;  and  he  and  Mr.  Farley  being 
armed  with  similar  weapons,  we  all  three  commenced  a 
gallant  attack  upon  a  heap  of  manure.  This  office 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  3 

being  concluded,  arid   I  having   purified   myself,  I  sit 

down  to  finish  this  letter 

Miss  Fuller's  cow  hooks  the  other  cows,  and  has 
made  herself  ruler  of  the  herd,  and  behaves  in  a  very 

tyrannical  manner I  shall  make   an   excellent 

husbandman,  —  I    feel   the   original    Adam    reviving 
within  me. 

April  IQth.  — .  .  .  .  Since  I  last  wrote,  there  has 
been  an  addition  to  our  community  of  four  gentlemen  in 
sables,  who  promise  to  be  among  our  most  useful  and 
respectable  members.  They  arrived  yesterday,  about 
noon.  Mr.  Ripley  had  proposed  to  them  to  join  us,  no 
longer  ago  than  that  very  morning.  I  had  some  con 
versation  with  them  in  the  afternoon,  and  was  glad  to 
hear  them  express  much  satisfaction  with  their  new 
abode  and  all  the  arrangements.  They  do  not  appear 
to  be  very  communicative,  however,  —  or  perhaps  it 
may  be  merely  an  external  reserve,  like  my  own,  to 
shield  their  delicacy.  Several  of  their  prominent  charac 
teristics,  as  well  as  their  black  attire,  lead  me  to  believe 
that  they  are  members  of  the  clerical  profession ;  but  I 
have  not  yet  ascertained  from  their  own  lips  what  has 
been  the  nature  of  their  past  lives.  I  trust  to  have 
much  pleasure  in  their  society,  and,  sooner  or  later,  that 
we  shall  all  of  us  derive  great  strength  from  our  inter 
course  with  them.  I  cannot  too  highly  applaud  the 
readiness  with  which  these  four  gentlemen  in  black  have 
thrown  aside  all  the  fopperies  and  flummeries  which 
have  their  origin  in  a  false  state  of  society.  When  I 
last  saw  them,  they  looked  as  heroically  regardless  of 
the  stains  and  soils  incident  to  our  profession  as  I  did 
when  I  emerged  from  the  gold  mine 


4  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

I  have  milked  a  cow!  !!....  The  herd  has 
rebelled  against  the  usurpation  of  Miss  Fuller's  heifer ; 
and,  whenever  they  are  turned  out  of  the  barn,  she  is 
compelled  to  take  refuge  under  our  protection.  So 
much  did  she  impede  my  labors  by  keeping  close  to  me, 
that  I  found  it  necessary  to  give  her  two  or  three  gentle 
pats  with  a  shovel ;  but  still  she  preferred  to  trust  her 
self  to  my  tender  mercies,  rather  than  venture  among 
the  horns  of  the  herd.  She  is  not  an  amiable  cow  ;  but 
she  has  a  very  intelligent  face,  and  seems  to  be  of  a 
reflective  cast  of  character.  I  doubt  not  that  she  will 
soon  perceive  the  expediency  of  being  on  good  terms 
with  the  rest  of  the  sisterhood. 

I  have  not  yet  been  twenty  yards  from  our  house 
and  barn ;  but  I  begin  to  perceive  that  this  is  a  beau 
tiful  place.  The  scenery  is  of  a  mild  and  placid  char 
acter,  with  nothing  bold  in  its  aspect ;  but  I  think  its 
beauties  will  grow  upon  us,  and  make  us  love  it  the 
more,  the  longer  we  live  here.  There  is  a  brook,  so 
near  the  house  that  we  shall  be  able  to  hear  its  ripple 
in  the  summer  evenings,  ....  but,  for  agricultural 
purposes,  it  has  been  made  to  flow  in  a  straight  and 
rectangular  fashion,  which  does  it  infinite  damage  as  a 
picturesque  object 

It  was  a  moment  or  two  before  I  could  think  whom 
you  meant  by  Mr.  Dismal  View.  Why,  he  is  one 
of  the  best  of  the  brotherhood,  so  far  as  cheerfulness 
goes;  for  if  he  do  not  laugh  himself,  he  makes  the 
rest  of  us  laugh  continually.  He  is  the  quaintest  and 
queerest  personage  you  ever  saw,  —  full  of  dry  jokes, 
the  humor  of  which  is  so  incorporated  with  the 
etrange  twistifications  of  his  physiognomy,  that  his 


1841.]  AMERICAN    tfOTE-BOOKS.  5 

sayings  ought  to  be  written  down,  accompanied  with 
illustrations  by  Cruikshank.  Then  he  keeps  quoting 
innumerable  scraps  of  Latin,  and  makes  classical  allu 
sions,  while  we  are  turning  over  the  gold  mine ;  and  the 
contrast  between  the  nature  of  his  employment  and 
the  character  of  his  thoughts  is  irresistibly  ludicrous. 

I  have  written  this  epistle  in  the  parlor,  while 
Farmer  Ripley,  and  Farmer  Farley,  and  Farmer  Dis 
mal  View  were  talking  about  their  agricultural  con 
cerns.  So  you  will  not  wonder  if  it  is  not  a  classical 
piece  of  composition,  either  in  point  of  thought  or  ex 
pression. 

Mr.  Ripley  has  bought  four  black  pigs. 

April  22d. — .  .  .  .  What  an  abominable  hand  do  I 
scribble !  but  I  have  been  chopping  wood,  and  turning 
a  grindstone  all  the  forenoon ;  and  such  occupations  are 
apt  to  disturb  the  equilibrium  of  the  muscles  and  sinews. 
It  is  an  endless  surprise  to  me  how  much  work  there 
is  to  be  done  in  the  world ;  but,  thank  God,  I  am  able 
to  do  my  share  of  it,  —  and  my  ability  increases  daily. 
What  a  great,  broad-shouldered,  elephantine  personage 
I  shall  become  by  and  by  ! 

I  milked  two  cows  this  morning,  and  would  send 
you  some  of  the  milk,  only  that  it  is  mingled  with  that 
which  was  drawn  forth  by  Mr.  Dismal  View  and  the 
rest  of  the  brethren. 

April  28th.  — ....  I  was  caught  by  a  cold  during  my 
visit  to  Boston.  It  has  not  affected  my  whole  frame, 


6  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [_1841. 

but  took  entire  possession  of  my  head,  as  being  the 
weakest  and  most  vulnerable  part.  Never  did  any 
body  sneeze  with  such  vehemence  and  frequency ;  and 
my  poor  brain  has  been  in  a  thick  fog ;  or,  rather 
it  seemed  as  if  my  head  were  stuffed  with  coarse 

wool Sometimes  I  wanted  to  wrench  it  off,  and 

give  it  a  great  kick,  like  a  football. 

This  annoyance  has  made  me  endure  the  bad  weather 
with  even  less  than  ordinary  patience ;  and  my  faith  was 
so  far  exhausted  that,  when  they  told  me  yesterday 
that  the  sun  was  setting  clear,  I  would  not  even  turn 
my  eyes  towards  the  west.  But  this  morning  I  am 
made  all  over  anew,  and  have  no  greater  remnant  of 
my  cold  than  will  serve  as  an  excuse  for  doing  no 
work  to-day. 

The  family  has  been  dismal  and  dolorous  throughout 
the  storm.  The  night  before  last,  William  Allen  was 
stung  by  a  wasp  on  the  eyelid ;  whereupon  the  whole 
side  of  his  face  swelled  to  an  enormous  magnitude,  so 
that,  at  the  breakfast  table,  one  half  of  him  looked  like 
a  blind  giant  (the  eye  being  closed),  and  the  other  half 
had  such  a  sorrowful  and  ludicrous  aspect  that  I  was 
constrained  to  laugh  out  of  sheer  pity.  The  same  day, 
a  colony  of  wasps  was  discovered  in  my  chamber,  where 
they  had  remained  throughout  the  winter,  and  were 
now  just  bestirring  themselves,  doubtless  with  the  in 
tention  of  stinging  me  from  head  to  foot A  simi 
lar  discovery  was  made  in  Mr.  Farley's  room.  In 
short,  we  seem  to  have  taken  up  our  abode  in  a  wasps' 
nest.  Thus  you  see  a  rural  life  is  not  one  of  unbroken 
quiet  and  serenity. 


1341.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  7 

If  the  middle  of  the  day  prove  warm  and  pleasant, 

I  promise  myself  to   take  a  walk I  have  taken 

one  walk  with  Mr.  Farley ;  and  I  could  not  have  be 
lieved  that  there  was  such  seclusion  at  so  short  a  dis 
tance  from  a  great  city.  Many  spots  seem  hardly  to 
have  been  visited  for  ages,  —  not  since  John  Eliot 
preached  to  the  Indians  here.  If  we  were  to  travel  a 
thousand  miles,  we  could  not  escape  the  world  more 
completely  than  we  can  here. 

I  read  no  newspapers,  and  hardly  remember  who  is 
President,  and  feel  as  if  I  had  no  more  concern  with 
what  other  people  trouble  themselves  about  than  if  I 
dwelt  in  another  planet. 

May  1st.  — .  .  .  .  Every  day  of  my  life  makes  me 
feel  more  and  more  how  seldom  a  fact  is  accurately 
stated ;  how,  almost  invariably,  when  a  story  has  passed 
through  the  mind  of  a  third  person,  it  becomes,  so  far 
as  regards  the  impression  that  it  makes  in  further  repe 
titions,  little  better  than  a  falsehood,  and  this,  too,  though 
the  narrator  be  the  most  truth-seeking  person  in  exist 
ence.  How  marvellous  the  tendency  is  !  ....  Is  truth 
a  fantasy  which  we  are  to  pursue  forever  and  never 
grasp? 

My  cold  has  almost  entirely  departed.  Were  it  a 
sunny  day,  I  should  consider  myself  quite  fit  for  labor 
out  of  doors;  but  as  the  ground  is  so  damp,  and  the 
atmosphere  so  chill,  and  the  sky  so  sullen,  I  intend  to 
keep  myself  on  the  sick-list  this  one  day  longer,  more 
especially  as  I  wish  to  read  Carlyle  on  Heroes. 


8  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

There  has  been  but  one  flower  found  in  this  vicinity, 
«  —  and  that  was  an  anemone,  a  poor,  pale,  shivering  lit 
tle  flower,  that  had  crept  under  a  stone  wall  for  shelter. 
Mr.  Farley  found  it,  while  taking  a  walk  with  me. 

....  This  is  May-day  !  Alas,  what  a  difference  be 
tween  the  ideal  and  the  real  ! 


4^.  —  ....  My  cold  no  longer  troubles  me,  and 
all  the  morning  I  have  been  at  work  under  the  clear 
blue  sky,  on  a  hillside.  Sometimes  it  almost  seemed 
as  if  I  were  at  work  in  the  sky  itself,  though  the  mate 
rial  in  which  I  wrought  was  the  ore  from  our  gold  mine. 
Nevertheless,  there  is  nothing  so  unseemly  and  dis 
agreeable  in  this  sort  of  toil  as  you  could  think.  It 
defiles  the  hands,  indeed,  but  not  the  soul.  This  gold 
ore  is  a  pure  and  wholesome  substance,  else  our  mother 
Nature  would  not  devour  it  so  readily,  and  derive  so 
much  nourishment  from  it,  and  return  such  a  rich  abun 
dance  of  good  grain  and  roots  in  requital  of  it. 

The  farm  is  growing  very  beautiful  now,  —  not  that 
we  yet  see  anything  of  the  peas  and  potatoes  which  we 
have  planted  ;  but  the  grass  blushes  green  on  the  slopes 
and  hollows.  I  wrote  that  word  "  blush  "  almost  un 
consciously  ;  so  we  will  let  it  go  as  an  inspired  utter 
ance.  When  I  go  forth  afield,  ....  I  look  beneath 
the  stone  walls,  where  the  verdure  is  richest,  in  hopes 
that  a  little  company  of  violets,  or  some  solitary 
bud,  prophetic  of  the  summer,  may  be  there  ..... 
But  not  a  wild-flower  have  I  yet  found.  One  of  the 
boys  gathered  some  yellow  cowslips  last  Sunday  ;  but  I 
am  well  content  not  to  have  found  them,  for  they  are 
not  precisely  what  I  should  like  tc  send  to  you,  though 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  9 

they  deserve  honor  and  praise,  because  they  come  to  us 
when  no  others  will.  We  have  our  parlor  here  dressed 
in  evergreen  as  at  Christmas.  That  beautiful  little 
flower-vase  ....  stands  on  Mr.  Ripley's  study  table,  at 
which  I  am  now  writing.  It  contains  some  daffodils 
and  some  willow  blossoms.  I  brought  it  here  rather 
than  keep  it  in  my  chamber,  because  I  never  sit  there, 
and  it  gives  me  many  pleasant  emotions  to  look  round 
and  be  surprised  —  for  it  is  often  a  surprise,  though  I 
well  know  that  it  is  there  —  by  something  connected 
with  the  idea  [of  a  friend.] 

I  do  not  believe  that  I  should  be  patient  here  if  I  were 
not  engaged  in  a  righteous  and  heaven-blessed  way  of 
life.  When  I  was  in  the  Custom  House  and  then  at 
Salem,  I  was  not  half  so  patient 

We  had  some  tableaux  last  evening,  the  principal 
characters  being  sustained  by  Mr.  Farley  and  Miss 
Ellen  Slade.  They  went  off  very  well 

I  fear  it  is  time  for  me  —  sod-compelling  as  I  am  —  to 
take  the  field  again. 

May  llth.  — .  .  .  .  This  morning  I  arose  at  milking- 
time  in  good  trim  for  work ;  and  we  have  been  employed 
partly  in  an  augean  labor  of  clearing  out  a  wood-shed, 
and  partly  in  carting  loads  of  oak.  This  afternoon  1 
hope  to  have  something  to  do  in  the  field,  for  these  jobs 
about  the  house  are  not  at  all  to  my  taste. 

June  1st.  — . .  .  .1  have  been  too  busy  to  write  a  Ion;, 
letter  by  this  c  .portunity,  for  I  think  this  present  life  c. 
mine  gives  ir    an  antipathy  to  pen  and  ink,  even  mor 
i* 


10  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

than  my  Custom  House  experience  did In  the 

midst  of  toil,  or  after  a  hard  day's  work  in  the  gold 
mine,  my  soul  obstinately  refuses  to  be  poured  out  on 
paper.  That  abominable  gold  mine  !  Thank  God,  we 
anticipate  getting  rid  of  its  treasures  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  days!  Of  all  hateful  places  that  is  the 
worst,  and  I  shall  never  comfort  myself  for  having  spent 
so  many  days  of  blessed  sunshine  there.  It  is  my  opin 
ion  that  a  man's  soul  may  be  buried  and  perish  under  a 
dung-heap,  or  in  a  furrow  of  the  field,  just  as  well  as 
under  a  pile  of  money. 

Mr.  George  Bradford  will  probably  be  here  to-day, 
so  that  there  will  be  no  danger  of  my  being  under  the 
necessity  of  laboring  more  than  I  like  hereafter.  Mean 
time  my  health  is  perfect,  and  my  spirits  buoyant,  even 
in  the  gold  mine. 

August  12th.  — .  ...  I  am  very  well,  and  not  at  all 
weary,  for  yesterday's  rain  gave  us  a  holiday;  and, 
moreover,  the  labors  of  the  farm  are  not  so  pressing 
as  they  have  been.  And,  joyful  thought !  in  a  little 
more  than  a  fortnight  I  shall  be  free  from  my  bond 
age,  — ....  free  to  enjoy  Nature,  —  free  to  think  and 
feel !  .  .  . .  Even  my  Custom  House  experience  was  not 
such  a  thraldom  and  weariness;  my  mind  and  heart 
were  free.  O,  labor  is  the  curse  of  the  world,  and  no 
body  can  meddle  with  it  without  becoming  proportion- 
ably  brutified !  Is  it  a  praiseworthy  matter  that  I 
have  spent  five  golden  months  in  providing  food  for 
cows  and  horses  ?  It  is  not  so. 

August  18th.  —  I  am  very  well,  only  somewhat  tired 


1841]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  11 

with  walking  half  a  dozen  miles  immediately  after 
breakfast,  and  raking  hay  ever  since.  We  shall  quite 
finish  haying  this  week,  and  then  there  will  be  no  more 
very  hard  or  constant  labor  during  the  one  other  week 
that  I  shall  remain  a  slave. 

August  22d.  — .  ...  I  had  an  indispensable  en 
gagement  in  the  bean-field,  whither,  indeed,  I  was  glad 
to  betake  myself,  in  order  to  escape  a  parting  scene 

with .     He   was   quite  out  of  his  wits  the  night 

before,  and  I  sat  up  with  him  till  long  past  midnight. 
The  farm  is  pleasanter  now  that  he  is  gone ;  for  his  un 
appeasable  wretchedness  threw  a  gloom  over  every 
thing.  Since  I  last  wrote,  we  have  done  haying,  and 
the  remainder  of  my  bondage  will  probably  be  light. 
It  will  be  a  long  time,  however,  before  I  shall  know 
how  to  make  a  good  use  of  leisure,  either  as  regards 
enjoyment  or  literary  occupation 

It  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  Mr.  Kipley  will 
succeed  in  locating  his  community  on  this  farm.  He 

can    bring    Mr.  E to    no    terms,   and    the    more 

they  talk  about  the  matter,  the  further  they  appear  to 
be  from  a  settlement.  We  must  form  other  plans  for 
ourselves ;  for  I  can  see  few  or  no  signs  that  Provi 
dence  purposes  to  give  us  a  home  here.  I  am  weary, 
weary,  thrice  weary,  of  waiting  so  many  ages.  What 
ever  may  be  my  gifts,  I  have  not  hitherto  shown  a 
single  one  that  may  avail  to  gather  gold.  I  confess 
that  I  have  strong  hopes  of  good  from  this  arrangement 

with  M ;  but  when  I  look  at  the  scanty  avails  of  my 

past  literary  efforts,  I  do  not  feel  authorized  to  expect 
much  from  the  future.  Well,  we  shall  see.  Other 


12  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS. 

persons  have  bought  large  estates  and  built  splendid 
mansions  with  such  little  books  as  I  mean  to  write  ;  so 
that  perhaps  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  hope  that  mine 
may  enable  me  to  build  a  little  cottage,  or,  at  least,  to 
buy  or  hire  one.  But  I  am  becoming  more  and  more 
convinced  that  we  must  not  lean  upon  this  community. 
Whatever  is  to  be  done  must  be  done  by  my  own  un 
divided  strength.  I  shall  not  remain  here  through  the 
winter,  unless  with  an  absolute  certainty  that  there  will 
be  a  house  ready  for  us  in  the  spring.  Otherwise,  I 
shall  return  to  Boston  ;  —  still,  however,  considering 
myself  an  associate  of  the  community,  so  that  we  may 
take  advantage  of  any  more  favorable  aspect  of  affairs. 
How  much  depends"  on  these  little  books  !  Methinks  if 
anything  could  draw  out  my  whole  strength,  it  would 
be  the  motives  that  now  press  upon  me.  Yet,  after  all, 
I  must  keep  these  considerations  out  of  my  mind,  be 
cause  an  external  pressure  always  disturbs  instead  of 


Salem,  September  3d.  — ....  But  really  I  should 
judge  it  to  be  twenty  years  since  I  left  Brook  Farm ; 
and  I  take  this  to  be  one  proof  that  my  life  there  was 
«n  unnatural  and  unsuitable,  and  therefore  an  unreal 
one.  It  already  looks  like  a  dream  behind  me.  The 
real  Me  was  never  an  associate  of  the  community  ;  there 
has  been  a  spectral  Appearance  there,  sounding  the  horn 
at  daybreak,  and  milking  the  cows,  and  hoeing  potatoes, 
and  raking  hay,  toiling  in  the  sun,  and  doing  me  the 
honor  to  assume  my  name.  But  this  spectre  was  not 
myself.  Nevertheless,  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  that 
wy  hands  have,  during  the  past  summer,  grown  very 


1841.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  13 

brown  and  rough,  insomuch  that  many  people  persist  in 
believing  that  I,  after  all,  was  the  aforesaid  spectral  horn- 
sounder,  cow-milker,  potato-hoer,  and  hay-raker.  But 
such  people  do  not  know  a  reality  from  a  shadow. 
Enough  of  nonsense.  I  know  not  exactly  how  soon  I 
shall  return  to  the  farm.  Perhaps  not  sooner  than  a 
fortnight  from  to-morrow. 

Salem,  September  I4th.  —  ....  Master  Cheever  is  a 
very  good  subject  for  a  sketch,  especially  if  he  be  por 
trayed  in  the  very  act  of  executing  judgment  on  an  evil 
doer.  The  little  urchin  may  be  laid  across  his  knee, 
and  his  arms  and  legs,  and  whole  person  indeed,  should 
be  flying  all  abroad,  in  an  agony  of  nervous  excitement 
and  corporeal  smart.  The  Master,  on  the  other  hand, 
must  be  calm,  rigid,  without  anger  or  pity,  the  very 
personification  of  that  immitigable  law  whereby  suffer 
ing  follows  sin.  Meantime  the  lion's  head  should  have 
a  sort  of  sly  twist  on  one  side  of  its  mouth,  and  a  wink 
of  one  eye,  in  order  to  give  the  impression  that,  after 
all,  the  crime  and  the  punishment  are  neither  of  them 
the  most  serious  things  in  the  world.  I  could  draw  the 

sketch  myself,  if  I  had  but  the  use  of  's  magic 

fingers. 

Then  the  Acadians  will  do  very  well  for  the  second 
sketch.  They  might  be  represented  as  just  landing  on 
the  wharf ;  or  as  presenting  themselves  before  Gover 
nor  Shirley,  seated  in  the  great  chair.  Another  subject 
might  be  old  Cotton  Mather,  venerable  in  a  three-cor 
nered  hat  and  other  antique  attire,  walking  the  streets 
of  Boston,  and  lifting  up  his  hands  to  bless  the  people, 
while  they  all  revile  him.  An  old  dame  should  be  seen, 


14  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841 

flinging  water,  or  emptying  some  vials  of  medicine  on 
his  head  from  the  latticed  window  of  an  old-fashioned 
house ;  and  all  around  must  be  tokens  of  pestilence  and 
mourning,  —  as  a  coffin  borne  along,  —  a  woman  or  chil 
dren  weeping  on  a  doorstep.  Can  the  tolling  of  the 
Old  South  bell  be  painted? 

If  not  this,  then  the  military  council,  holden  at  Bos 
ton  by  the  Earl  of  Loudon  and  other  captains  and  gov 
ernors,  might  be  taken,  —  his  lordship  in  the  great 
chair,  an  old-fashioned,  military  figure,  with  a  star  on 
his  breast.  Some  of  Louis  XV.'s  commanders  will  give 
the  costume.  On  the  table,  and  scattered  about  the 
room,  must  be  symbols  of  warfare,  —  swords,  pistol?, 
plumed  hats,  a  drum,  trumpet,  and  rolled-up  banner  in 
one  heap.  It  were  not  amiss  to  introduce  the  armed 
figure  of  an  Indian  chief,  as  taking  part  in  the  coun 
cil,  —  or  standing  apart  from  the  English,  erect  and 
stern. 

Now  for  Liberty  Tree.  There  is  an  engraving  of 
that  famous  vegetable  in  Snow's  History  of  Boston.  If 
represented,  I  see  not  what  scene  can  be  beneath  it, 
save  poor  Mr.  Oliver,  taking  the  oath.  He  must  have 
on  a  bag-wig,  ruffled  sleeves,  embroidered  coat,  and 
all  such  ornaments,  because  he  is  the  representative  of 
aristocracy  and  an  artificial  system.  The  people  may  be 
as  rough  and  wild  as  the  fancy  can  make  them ;  never 
theless,  there  must  be  one  or  two  grave,  puritanical  fig 
ures  in  the  midst.  Such  an  one  might  sit  in  the  great 
chair,  and  be  an  emblem  of  that  stern,  considerate  spirit 
which  brought  about  the  Revolution.  But  this  would 
be  a  hard  subject. 

But  what  a  dolt  am  I  to  obtrude  my  counsel 


184  L.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  15 

September  Ibth.  — .  ...  I  do  not  very  well  recollect 
Monsieur  du  Miroir,  but,  as  to  Mrs.  Bullfrog,  I  give  her 
up  to  the  severest  reprehension.  The  story  was  writ 
ten  as  a  mere  experiment  in  that  style ;  it  did  not  come 
from  any  depth  within  me,  —  neither  my  heart  nor 
mind  had  anything  to  do  with  it.  I  recollect  that  the 
Man  of  Adamant  seemed  a  fine -idea  to  me  when  I 
looked  at  it  prophetically  ;  but  I  failed  in  giving  shape 
and  substance  to  the  vision  which  I  saw.  I  don't  think 
it  can  be  very  good 

I  cannot  believe  all  these  stories  about ,  because 

such  a  rascal  never  could  be  sustained  and  countenanced 
by  respectable  men.  I  take  him  to  be  neither  better 
nor  worse  than  the  average  of  his  tribe.  However,  I 
intend  to  have  all  my  copyrights  taken  out  in  my  own 
name ;  and,  if  he  cheat  me  once,  I  will  have  nothing 
more  to  do  with  him,  but  will  straightway  be  cheated  by 
some  other  publisher,  —  that  being,  of  course,  the  only 
alternative. 

Governor  Shirley's  young  French  wife  might  be  the 
subject  of  one  of  the  cuts.  She  should  sit  in  the  great 
chair,  —  perhaps  with  a  dressing-glass  before  her,  —  and 
arrayed  in  all  manner  of  fantastic  finery,  and  with  an 
outre  French  air,  while  the  old  Governor  is  leaning 
fondly  over  her,  and  a  puritanic  counsellor  or  two  are 
manifesting  their  disgust  in  the  background.  A  negro 
footman  and  a  French  waiting-maid  might  be  in  attend 
ance. 

In  Liberty  Tree  might  be  a  vignette,  representing 
the  chair  in  a  very  shattered,  battered,  and  forlorn  con- 


16  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

dition,  after  it  had  been  ejected  from  Hutchinson's 
house.  This  would  serve  to  impress  the  reader  with 

the  woful  vicissitudes  of  sublunary  things 

Did  you  ever  behold  such  a  vile  scribble  as  I  write 
since  I  became  a  farmer  ?     My  chirography  always  was 
abominable,  but  now  it  is  outrageous. 
• 

Brook  Farm,  September  22c?,  1841. — Here  I 

am  again,  slowly  adapting  myself  to  the  life  of  this 
queer  community,  whence  I  seem  to  have  been  absent 
half  a  lifetime,  —  so  utterly  have  I  grown  apart  from 

the  spirit  and  manners  of  the  place I  was  most 

kindly  received ;  and  the  fields  and  woods  looked  very 
pleasant  in  the  bright  sunshine  of  the  day  before  yes 
terday.  I  had  a  friendlier  disposition  towards  the  farm, 
now  that  I  am  no  longer  obliged  to  toil  in  its  stubborn 
furrows.  Yesterday  and  to-day,  however,  the  weather 
has  been  intolerable,  —  cold,  chill,  sullen,  so  that  it  is 
impossible  to  be  on  kindly  terms  with  Mother  Na 
ture 

I  doubt  whether  I  shall  succeed  in  writing  another 
volume  of  Grandfather's  Library  while  I  remain  here. 
I  have  not  the  sense  of  perfect  seclusion  which  has  al 
ways  been  essential  to  my  power  of  producing  anything. 
It  is  true,  nobody  intrudes  into  my  room ;  but  still  I 
cannot  be  quiet.  Nothing  here  is  settled ;  everything 
is  but  beginning  to  arrange  itself,  and  though  I  would 
seem  to  have  little  to  do  with  aught  beside  my  own 
thoughts,  still  I  cannot  but  partake  of  the  ferment  around 
me.  My  mind  will  not  be  abstracted.  I  must  observe, 
and  think,  and  feel,  and  content  myself  with  catching 
glimpses  of  things  wUich  may  be  wrought  out  hereafter. 


1841.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  17 

Perhaps  it  will  be  quite  as  well  that  I  find  myself  un 
able  to  set  seriously  about  literary  occupation  for  the 
present.  It  will  be  good  to  have  a  longer  interval  be 
tween  my  labor  of  the  body  and  that  of  the  mind.  I 
shall  work  to  the  better  purpose  after  the  beginning  of 
November.  Meantime  I  shall  see  these  people  and 
their  enterprise  under  a  new  pointrof  view,  and  perhaps 
be  able  to  determine  whether  we  have  any  call  to  cast 
in  our  lot  among  them. 

I  do  wish  the  weather  would  put  off  this  sulky  mood. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  warmth  and  brightness  of 
Monday,  when  I  arrived  here,  I  should  have  supposed 
that  all  sunshine  had  left  Brook  Farm  forever.  1 
have  no  disposition  to  take  long  walks  in  such  a  state 
of  the  sky  ;  nor  have  I  any  buoyancy  of  spirit.  I  am 
a  very  dull  person  just  at  this  time. 

September  2oth.  —  ....  One  thing  is  certain.  I  can 
not  and  will  not  spend  the  winter  here.  The  time 
would  be  absolutely  thrown  away  so  far  as  regards 
any  literary  labor  to  be  performed 

The  intrusion  of  an  outward  necessity  into  labors 
of  the  imagination  and  intellect  is,  to  me,  very  pain 
ful 

I  had  rather  a  pleasant  walk  to  a  distant  meadow 
a  day  or  two  ago,  and  we  found  white  and  purple 
grapes  in  great  abundance,  ripe,  and  gushing  with  rich, 
pure  juice  when  the  hand  pressed  the  clusters.  Did 
you  know  what  treasures  of  wild  grapes  there  are  in 
this  land  ?  If  we  dwell  here,  we  will  make  our  own 
wine 


J8  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

September  27th.  — ....  Now,  as  to  the  afiair  with 

,  I  fully  confide  in  your  opinion  that  he  intends 

to  make  an  unequal  bargain  with  poor,  simple,  inno 
cent  me,  —  never  having  doubted  this  myself.  But 
how  is  he  to  accomplish  it  ?  I  am  not,  nor  shall  be, 
the  least  in  his  power,  whereas  he  is,  to  a  certain 
extent,  in  mine.  He  might  announce  his  projected 
Library,  with  me  for  the  editor,  in  all  the  newspapers 
in  the  universe;  but  still  I  could  not  be  bound  to 
become  the  editor,  unless  by  my  own  act ;  nor  should  I 
have  the  slightest  scruple  in  refusing  to  be  so,  at  the 
last  moment,  if  he  persisted  in  treating  me  with  in 
justice.  Then,  as  for  his  printing  Grandfather's  Chair. 
I  have  the  copyright  in  my  own  hands,  and  could 
and  would  prevent  the  sale,  or  make  him  account  to 
me  for  the  profits,  in  case  of  need.  Meantime  he  is 
making  arrangements  for  publishing  the  Library,  con 
tracting  with  other  booksellers,  and  with  printers  and 
engravers,  and,  with  every  step,  making  it  more  diffi 
cult  for  himself  to  draw  back.  I,  on  the  other  hand, 
do  nothing  which  I  should  not  do  if  the  affair  with 

were  at  an  end;  for,  if  I  write  a  book,  it  will 

be  just  as  available  for  some  other  publisher  as  for 
him.  Instead  of  getting  me  into  his  power  by  this 
delay,  he  has  trusted  to  my  ignorance  and  simplicity, 
and  has  put  himself  in  my  power. 

He  is  not  insensible  of  this.  At  our  last  interview, 
he  himself  introduced  the  subject  of  the  bargain,  and 
appeared  desirous  to  close  it.  But  I  was  not  prepared, 
—  among  other  reasons,  because  I  do  not  yet  see  what 
materials  I  shall  have  for  the  republications  in  the 
Library  ;  the  works  that  he  has  shown  me  being  ill 


i841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  19 

adapted  for  that  purpose ;  and  I  wish  first  to  see  some 
French  and  German  books  which  he  has  sent  for  to 
New  York.  And,  before  concluding  the  bargain,  I 
have  promised  George  Hillard  to  consult  him,  and  let 
him  do  the  business.  Is  not  this  consummate  discre 
tion  ?  and  am  I  not  perfectly  safe  ?....!  look  at 
the  matter  with  perfect  composure,  and  see  all  round 
my  own  position,  and  know  that  it  is  impregnable. 

I  was  ejected  to  two  high  offices  last  night,  —  viz.  to 
be  a  trustee  of  the  Brook  Farm  estate,  and  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Finance !  .  .  .  .  From  the  nature  of 
my  office,  I  shall  have  the  chief  direction  of  all  the 
money  affairs  of  the  community,  the  making  of  bar 
gains,  the  supervision  of  receipts  and  expenditures,  &c., 
&c.,  &c 

My  accession  to  these  august  offices  does  not  at  all 
decide  the  question  of  my  remaining  here  perma 
nently.  I  told  Mr.  Ripley  that  I  could  not  spend  the 
winter  at  the  farm,  and  that  it  was  quite  uncertain 
whether  I  returned  in  the  spring 

Take  no  part,  I  beseech  you,  in  these  magnetic  mira 
cles.  I  am  unwilling  that  a  power  should  be  exer 
cised  on  you  of  which  we  know  neither  the  origin  nor 
consequence,  and  the  phenomena  of  which  seem  rather 
calculated  to  bewilder  us  than  to  teach  us  any  truths 
about  the  present  or  future  state  of  being.  ....  Sup 
posing  that  the  power  arises  from  the  transfusion  of  one 
spirit  into  another,  it  seeins  to  me  that  the  sacredness  ' 
of  an  individual  is  violated  by  it;  there  would  be  an 

intruder  into  the  holy  of  holies I  have  no  faith, 

whatever,  that  people  are  raised  to  the  seventh  heaven, 


20  AMEKICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841, 

or  to  any  heaven  at  all,  or  that  they  gain  any  insight 
into  the  mysteries  of  life  beyond  death  by  means  of  this 
strange  science.  Without  distrusting  that  the  phenom 
ena  have  really  occurred,  I  think  that  they  are  to  be 
accounted  for  as  the  result  of  a  material  and  physical, 
nol  of  a  spiritual,  influence.  Opium  has  produced  many 
a  brighter  vision  of  heaven,  I  fancy,  and  just  as  suscep 
tible  of  proof  as  these.  They  are  dreams And 

what  delusion  can  be  more  lamentable  and  mischievous, 
than  to  mistake  the  physical  and  material  for  the  spirit 
ual  ?  what  so  miserable  as  to  lose  the  soul's  true,  though 
hidden  knowledge  and  consciousness  of  heaven  in  the 
mist  of  an  earth-born  vision  ?  If  we  would  know  what 
heaven  is  before  we  come  thither,  let  us  retire  into  the 
depths  of  our  own  spirits,  and  we  shall  find  it  there 
among  holy  thoughts  and  feelings ;  but  let  us  not 
degrade  high  heaven  and  its  inhabitants  into  any  such 

symbols  and  forms  as  Miss  L describes ;    do  not 

let  an  earthly  effluence  from  Mrs.  P 's  corporeal  sys 
tem  bewilder  and  perhaps  contaminate  something  spirit 
ual  and  sacred.  I  should  as  soon  think  of  seeking 
revelations  of  the  future  state  in  the  rottenness  of  the 

grave,  —  where  so  many  do  seek  it 

The  view  which  I  take  of  this  matter  is  caused  by 
no  want  of  faith  in  mysteries ;  but  from  a  deep  rever 
ence  of  the  soul,  and  of  the  mysteries  which  it  knows 
within  itself,  but  never  transmits  to  the  earthly  eye  and 
ear.  Keep  the  imagination  sane,  —  that  is  one  of  the 
truest  conditions  of  communion  with  heaven. 

Brook  Farm,  September  26th. — A  walk  this  morn 
ing  along  the  Needham  road.  A  clear,  breezy  morn- 


184J.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  21 

ing,  after  nearly  a  week  of  cloudy  and  showery  weather. 
The  grass  is  much  more  fresh  and  vivid  than  it  was  last 
month,  and  trees  still  retain  much  of  their  verdure, 
though  here  and  there  is  a  shrub  or  a  bough  arrayed  in 
scarlet  and  gold.  Along  the  road,  in  the  midst  of  a 
beaten  track,  I  saw  mushrooms  or  toadstools,  which  had 
sprung  up  probably  during  the  night. 

The  houses  in  this  vicinity  are,  many  of  them,  quite 
antique,  with  long,  sloping  roofs,  commencing  at  a  few 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  ending  in  a  lofty  peak.  Some 
of  them  have  huge  old  elms  overshadowing  the  yard. 
One  may  see  the  family  sleigh  near  the  door,  it  having 
stood  there  all  through  the  summer  sunshine,  and  per 
haps  with  weeds  sprouting  through  the  crevices  of  its 
bottom,  the  growth  of  the  months  since  snow  departed. 
Old  barns,  patched  and  supported  by  timbers  leaning 
against  the  sides,  and  stained  with  the  excrement  of  past 
ages. 

In  the  forenoon  I  walked  along  the  edge  of  the 
meadow  towards  Cow  Island.  Large  trees,  almost  a 
wood,  principally  of  pine  with  the  green  pasture-glade* 
intermixed,  and  cattle  feeding.  They  cease  grazing 
when  an  intruder  appears,  and  look  at  him  with  long 
and  wary  observation,  then  bend  their  heads  to  the 
pasture  again.  Where  the  firm  ground  of  the  pasture 
ceases,  the  meadow  begins,  —  loose,  spongy,  yielding  to 
the  tread,  sometimes  permitting  the  foot  to  sink  into 
black  mud,  or  perhaps  over  ankles  in  water.  Cattle- 
paths,  somewhat  firmer  than  the  general  surface,  trav 
erse  the  dense  shrubbery  which  has  overgrown  the 
meadow.  This  shrubbery  consists  of  small  birch,  el 
ders,  maples,  and  other  trees,  with  here  and  there  white 


22  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

pines  of  larger  growth.  The  whole  is  tangled  and  wild 
and  thick-set,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  part  the  nestling 
stems  and  branches,  and  go  crashing  through.  There 
are  creeping  plants  of  various  sorts  which  clamber  up 
the  trees ;  and  some  of  them  have  changed  color  in  the 
slight  frosts  which  already  have  befallen  these  low 
grounds,  so  that  one  sees  a  spiral  wreath  of  scarlet 
leaves  twining  up  to  the  top  of  a  green  tree,  intermin 
gling  its  bright  hues  with  their  verdure,  as  if  all  were  of 
one  piece.  Sometimes,  instead  of  scarlet,  the  spiral 
wreath  is  of  a  golden  yellow. 

Within  the  verge  of  the  meadow,  mostly  near  the 
firm  shore  of  pasture  ground,  I  found  several  grape 
vines,  hung  with  an  abundance  of  large  purple  grapes. 
The  vines  had  caught  hold  of  maples  and  alders,  and 
climbed  to  the  summit,  curling  round  about  and  inter- 
wreathing  their  twisted  folds  in  so  intimate  a  manner 
that  it  was  not  easy  to  tell  the  parasite  from  the  sup 
porting  tree  or  shrub.  Sometimes  the  same  vine  had 
enveloped  several  shrubs,  and  caused  a  strange,  tangled 
confusion,  converting  all  these  poor  plants  to  the  pur 
pose  of  its  own  support,  and  hindering  their  growing  to 
their  own  benefit  and  convenience.  The  broad  vine- 
leaves,  some  of  them  yellow  or  yellowish-tinged,  were 
seen  apparently  growing  on  the  same  stems  with  the 
silver-maple  leaves,  and  those  of  the  other  shrubs,  thus 
married  against  their  will  by  the  conjugal  twine;  and 
the  purple  clusters  of  grapes  hung  down  from  above 
and  in  the  midst,  so  that  one  might  "  gather  grapes,"  if 
not  "  of  thorns,"  yet  of  as  alien  bushes. 

One  vine  had  ascended  almost  to  the  tip  of  a  large 
white  pine,  spreading  its  leaves  and  hanging  its  purple 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  23 

clusters  among  all  its  boughs,  —  still  climbing  and 
clambering,  as  if  it  would  not  be  content  till  it  had 
crowned  the  very  summit  with  a  wreath  of  its  own  foli 
age  and  bunches  of  grapes.  I  mounted  high  into  the 
tree,  and  ate  the  fruit  there,  while  the  vine  wreathed 
still  higher  into  the  depths  above  my  head.  The  grapes 
were  sour,  being  not  yet  fully  ripe.  Some  of  them,  how 
ever,  were  sweet  and  pleasant. 

September  27th.  —  A  ride  to  Brighton  yesterday 
morning,  it  being  the  day  of  the  weekly  cattle-fair. 
William  Allen  and  myself  went  in  a  wagon,  carrying  a 
calf  to  be  sold  at  the  fair.  The  calf  had  not  had  his 
breakfast,  as  his  mother  had  preceded  him  to  Brighton, 
and  he  kept  expressing  his  hunger  and  discomfort  by 
loud,  sonorous  baas,  especially  when  we  passed  any 
cattle  in  the  fields  or  in  the  road.  The  cows,  grazing 
within  hearing,  expressed  great  interest,  and  some  of 
them  came  galloping  to  the  roadside  to  behold  the  calf, 
Little  children,  also,  on  their  way  to  school,  stopped  to 
laugh  and  point  at  poor  little  Bossie.  He  was  a  prettily 
behaved  urchin,  and  kept  thrusting  his  hairy  muzzle 
between  William  and  myself,  apparently  wishing  to  be 
stroked  and  patted.  It  was  an  ugly  thought  that  his* 
confidence  in  human  nature,  and  nature  in  general,  was 
to  be  so  ill  rewarded  as  by  cutting  his  throat,  and  sell 
ing  him  in  quarters.  This,  I  suppose,  has  been  his  fate 
before  now ! 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  clear  as  crystal,  with  an 
invigorating,  but  not  disagreeable  coolness.  The  gen 
eral  aspect  of  the  country  was  as  green  as  summer,  — ' 
greener  indeed  than  mid  or  latter  summer,  —  arid  there 


24  AMERICAN    NOTE -BOOKS.  [l841« 

were  occasional  interminglings  of  the  brilliant  hues  of 
autumn,  which  made  the  scenery  more  beautiful,  both 
visibly  and  in  sentiment.  We  saw  no  absolutely  mean 
nor  poor-looking  abodes  along  the  road.  There  were 
warm  and  comfortable  farm-houses,  ancient,  with  the 
porch,  the  sloping  roof,  the  antique  peak,  the  clustered 
chimney,  of  old  times ;  and  modern  cottages,  smart  and 
tasteful ;  and  villas,  with  terraces  before  them,  and  dense 
shade,  and  wooden  urns  on  pillars,  and  other  such  to 
kens  of  gentility.  Pleasant  groves  of  oak  and  walnut 
also,  there  were,  sometimes  stretching  along  valleys, 
sometimes  ascending  a  hill  and  clothing  it  all  round,  so 
as  to  make  it  a  great  clump  of  verdure.  Frequently 
we  passed  people  with  cows,  oxen,  sheep,  or  pigs  for 
Brighton  Fair. 

On  arriving  at  Brighton,  we  found  the  village  thronged 
with  people,  horses,  and  vehicles.  Probably  there  is 
no  place  in  New  England  where  the  character  of  an 
agricultural  population  may  be  so  well  studied.  Al 
most  all  the  farmers  within  a  reasonable  distance  make 
it  a  point,  I  suppose,  to  attend  Brighton  Fair  pretty 
frequently,  if  not  on  business,  yet  as  amateurs.  Then 
there  are  all  the  cattle-people  and  butchers  who  supply 
the  Boston  market,  and  dealers  from  far  and  near ;  and 
every  man  who  has  a  cow  or  a  yoke  of  oxen,  whether 
to  sell  or  buy,  goes  to  Brighton  on  Monday.  There 
were  a  thousand  or  two  of  cattle  in  the  extensive  pens 
belonging  to  the  tavern-keeper,  besides  many  that  were 
standing  about.  One  could  hardly  stir  a  step  without 
running  upon  the  horns  of  one  dilemma  or  another,  in 
the  shape  of  ox,  cow,  bull,  or  ram.  The  yeomen  ap 
peared  to  be  more  in  their  element  than  I  have  ever 


1841 J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  25 

seen  them  anywhere  else,  except,  indeed,  at  labor, — 
more  so  than  at  musteririgs  and  such  gatherings  of 
amusement.  And  yet  this  was  a  sort  of  festal  day,  as 
well  as  a  day  of  business.  Most  of  the  people  were  of 
a  bulky  make,  with  much  bone  and  muscle,  and  some 
good  store  of  fat,  as  if  they  had  lived  on  flesh-diet ;  with 
mottled  faces,  too,  hard  and  red,  like  those  of  persons 
who  adhered  to  the  old  fashion  of  spirit-drinking.  Great, 
round-paunched  country  squires  were  there  too,  sitting 
under  the  porch  of  the  tavern,  or  waddling  about,  whip 
in  hand,  discussing  the  points  of  the  cattle.  There 
were  also  gentlemen-farmers,  neatly,  trimly,  and  fash 
ionably  dressed,  in  handsome  surtouts  and  trousers, 
strapped  under  their  boots.  Yeomen,  too,  in  their 
black  or  blue  Sunday  suits,  cut  by  country  tailors,  and 
awkwardly  worn.  Others  (like  myself)  had  on  the  blue 
stuff  frocks  which  they  wear  in  the  fields,  the  most  com 
fortable  garments  that  ever  were  invented.  Country 
loafers  were  among  the  throng,  —  men  who  looked  wist 
fully  at  the  liquors  in  the  bar,  and  waited  for  some 
friend  to  invite  them  to  drink,  —  poor,  shabby,  out-at- 
elbowed  devils.  Also,  dandies  from  the  city,  corseted 
and  buckramed,  who  had  come  to  see  the  humors  of 
Brighton  Fair.  All  these,  and  other  varieties  of  man 
kind,  either  thronged  the  spacious  bar-room  of  the  hotel, 
drinking,  smoking,  talking,  bargaining,  or  walked  about 
among  the  cattle-pens,  looking  with  knowing  eyes  at 
the  horned  people.  The  owners  of  the  cattle  stood  near 
at  hand,  waiting  for  offers.  There  was  something  in 
describable  in  their  aspect,  that  showed  them  to  be  the 
owners,  though  they  mixed  among  the  crowd.  The 
cattle,  bro  Jght  from  a  hundred  separate  farms,  or  rather 

VOL.   II.  2 


26  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841 

from  a  thousand,  seemed  to  agree  very  well  together, 
not  quarrelling  in  the  least.  They  almost  all  had  a  his 
tory,  no  doubt,  if  they  could  but  have  told  it.  The  cows 
had  each  given  her  milk  to  support  families,  —  had 
roamed  the  pastures,  and  come  home  to  the  barn-yard, 
had  been  looked  upon  as  a  sort  of  member  of  the  do 
mestic  circle,  and  was  known  by  a  name,  as  Brindle  or 
Cherry.  The  oxen,  with  their  necks  bent  by  the  heavy 
yoke,  had  toiled  in  the  plough-field  and  in  haying-time 
for  many  years,  and  knew  their  master's  stall  as  well  as 
the  master  himself  knew  his  own  table.  Even  the  young 
steers  and  the  little  calves  had  something  of  domestic 
sacredness  about  them  ;  for  children  had  watched  their 
growth,  and  petted  them,  and  played  with  them.  And 
here  they  all  were,  old  and  young,  gathered  from  their 
thousand  homes  to  Brighton  Fair;  whence  the  great 
chance  was  that  they  would  go  to  the  slaughter-house, 
and  thence  be  transmitted,  in  sirloins,  joints,  and  such 
pieces,  to  the  tables  of  the  Boston  folk. 

William  Allen  had  come  to  buy  four  little  pigs  to 
take  the  places  of  four  who  have  now  grown  large  at 
our  farm,  and  are  to  be  fatted  and  killed  within  a  few 
weeks.  There  were  several  hundreds,  in  pens  appro 
priated  to  their  use,  grunting  discordantly,  and  appar 
ently  in  no  very  good  humor  with  their  companions  or 
the  world  at  large.  Most  or  many  of  these  pigs  had 
been  imported  from  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
drovers  set  out  with  a  large  number,  and  peddle  them 
along  the  road  till  they  arrive  at  Brighton  with  the 
remainder.  William  selected  four,  and  bought  them  at 
five  cents  per  pound.  These  poor  little  porkers  were 
'•arthwith  seized  by  the  tails,  their  legs  tied,  and  they 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE -BOOKS.  27 

thrown  into  our  wagon,  where  they  kept  up  a  continual 
grunt  and  squeal  till  we  got  home.  Two  of  them  were 
yellowish,  or  light  gold-color,  the  other  two  were  black 
and  white,  speckled ;  and  all  four  of  very  piggish  aspect 
and  deportment.  One  of  them  snapped  at  William's 
finger  most  spitefully,  and  bit  it  to  the  bone. 

All  the  scene  of  the  Fair  was  very  characteristic  and 
peculiar,  —  cheerful  and  lively,  too,  in  the  bright,  warm 
sun.  I  must  see  it  again  ;  for  it  ought  to  be  studied. 

September  28th.  —  A  picnic  party  in  the  woods,  yester 
day,  in  honor  of  little  Frank  Dana's  birthday,  he  being 
six  years  old.  I  strolled  out,  after  dinner,  with  Mr, 
Bradford,  and  in  a  lonesome  glade  we  met  the  appari 
tion  of  an  Indian  chief,  dressed  in  appropriate  costume 
of  blanket,  feathers,  and  paint,  and  armed  with  a  mus 
ket.  Almost  at  the  same  time,  a  young  gypsy  fortune 
teller  came  from  among  the  trees,  and  proposed  to  tell 
my  fortune.  While  she  was  doing  this,  the  goddess 
Diana  let  fly  an  arrow,  and  hit  me  smartly  in  the  hand. 
The  fortune-teller  and  goddess  were  in  fine  contrast, 
Diana  being  a  blonde,  fair,  quiet,  with  a  moderate  com 
posure  ;  and  the  gypsy  (0.  G.)  a  bright,  vivacious, 
dark-haired,  rich-complexioned  damsel,  —  both  of  them 
very  pretty,  at  least  pretty  enough  to  make  fifteen  years 
enchanting.  Accompanied  by  these  denizens  of  the 
wild  wood,  we  went  onward,  and  came  to  a  company  of 
fantastic  figures,  arranged  in  a  ring  for  a  dance  or  a 
game.  There  was  a  Swiss  girl,  an  Indian  squaw,  a 
negro  of  the  Jim  Crow  order,  one  or  two  foresters,  and 
several  people  in  Christian  attire,  besides  children  of 
all  ages.  Then  followed  childish  games,  in  which  the 


28  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

grown  people  took  part  with  mirth  enough,  —  while  I, 
whose  nature  it  is  to  be  a  mere  spectator  both  of  sport 
and  serious  business,  lay  under  the  trees  and  looked  on. 
Meanwhile,  Mr.  Emerson  and  Miss  Fuller,  who  arrived 
an  hour  or  two  before,  came  forth  into  the  little  glade 
where  we  were  assembled.  Here  followed  much  talk. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  day  concluded  with  a  cold  colla 
tion  of  cakes  and  fruit.  All  was  pleasant  enough, — 
an  excellent  piece  of  work,  —  "  would  't  were  done  ! " 
It  has  left  a  fantastic  impression  on  my  memory,  this 
intermingling  of  wild  and  fabulous  characters  with  real 
and  homely  ones,  in  the  secluded  nook  of  the  woods. 
I  remember  them,  with  the  sunlight  breaking  through 
overshadowing  branches,  and  they  appearing  and  disap 
pearing  confusedly,  —  perhaps  starting  out  of  the  earth  ; 
as  if  the  every-day  laws  of  Nature  were  suspended  for 
this  particular  occasion.  There  were  the  children,  too, 
laughing  and  sporting  about,  as  if  they  were  at  home 
among  such  strange  shapes,  —  and  anon  bursting  into 
loud  uproar  of  lamentation,  when  the  rude  gambols  of 
the  merry  archers  chanced  to  overturn  them.  And 
apart,  with  a  shrewd,  Yankee  observation  of  the  scene, 
stands  our  friend  Orange,  a  thick-set,  sturdy  figure, 
enjoying  the  fun  well  enough,  yet  rather  laughing  with 
a  perception  of  its  nonsensicalness  than  at  all  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  the  thing. 

This  morning  I  have  been  helping  to  gather  apples. 
The  principal  farm  labors  at  this  time  are  ploughing  for 
winter  rye,  and  breaking  up  the  greensward  for  next 
year's  crop  of  potatoes,  gathering  squashes,  arid  not 
much  else,  except  such  year-round  employments  as 
milking.  The  crop  of  rye,  to  be  sure,  is  in  process  of 
being  thrashed,  at  odd  intervals. 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  29 

I  ought  to  have  mentioned  among  the  diverse  and 
incongruous  growths  of  the  picnic  party  our  two  Span 
ish  boys  from  Manilla;  —  Lucas,  with  his  heavy  fea 
tures  and  almost  mulatto  complexion  ;  and  Jose",  slighter, 
with  rather  a  feminine  face,  —  not  a  gay,  girlish  one, 
but  grave,  reserved,  eying  you  sometimes  with  an  ear 
nest  but  secret  expression,  and  causing  you  to  question 
what  sort  of  person  he  is. 

Friday,  October  1st. — I  have  been  looking  at  our 
four  swine,  —  not  of  the  last  lot,  but  those  in  process  of 
fattening.  They  lie  among  the  clean  rye  straw  in  the 
sty,  nestling  close  together  ;  for  they  seem  to  be  beasts 
sensitive  to  the  cold,  and  this  is  a  clear,  bright,  crys 
tal  morning,  with  a  cool,  northwest  wind.  So  there  lie 
these  four  black  swine,  as  deep  among  the  straw  as  they 
can  burro.w,  the  very  symbols  of  slothful  ease  and  sen 
suous  comfort.  They  seem  to  be  actually  oppressed 
and  overburdened  with  comfort.  They  are  quick  to 
notice  any  one's  approach,  and  utter  a  low  grunt  there 
upon,  —  not  drawing  a  breath  for  that  particular  pur 
pose,  but  grunting  with  their  ordinary  breath,  —  at  the 
same  time  turning  an  observant,  though  "lull  and  slug 
gish,  eye  upon  the  visitor.  They  seem  to  be  involved 
and  buried  in  their  own  corporeal  substance,  and  to  look 
dimly  forth  at  the  outer  world.  They  breathe  not  easily, 
and  yet  not  with  difficulty  nor  discomfort ;  for  the  very 
unreadiness  and  oppression  with  which  their  breath 
comes  appears  to  make  them  sensible  of  the  deep  sen 
sual  satisfaction  which  they  feel.  Swill,  the  remnant 
of  their  last  meal,  remains  in  the  trough,  denoting  that 
their  food  is  more  abundant  than  even  a  hog  can 


30  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841 

demand.  Anon  they  fall  asleep,  drawing  short  and 
heavy  breath?,  which  heave  their  huge  sides  up  and 
down ;  but  at  the  slightest  noise  they  sluggishly  unclose 
their  eyes,  and  give  another  gentle  grunt.  They  also 
grunt  among  themselves,  without  any  external  cause ; 
but  merely  to  express  their  swinish  sympathy.  I  sup 
pose  it  is  the  knowledge  that  these  four  grunters  are 
doomed  to  die  within  two  or  three  weeks  that  gives  them 
a  sort  of  awfulness  in  my  conception.  It  makes  me 
contrast  their  present  gross  substance  of  fleshly  life  with 
the_jiQiJiin|jness  speedily  to  come.  Meantime  the  four 
newly  bought  pigs  are  running  about  the  cow-yard, 
lean,  active,  shrewd,  investigating  everything,  as  their 
nature  is.  When  I  throw  an  apple  among  them,  they 
scramble  with  one  another  for  the  prize,  and  the  suc 
cessful  one  scampers  away  to  eat  it  at  leisure.  They 
thrust  their  snouts  into  the  mud,  and  pick  a  grain  of 
corn  out  of  the  rubbish.  Nothing  within  their  sphere 
do  they  leave  unexamined,  grunting  all  the  time  with 
infinite  variety  of  expression.  Their  language  is  the 
most  copious  of  that  of  any  quadruped,  and,  indeed, 
there  is  something  deeply  and  indefinably  interesting  in 
the  swinish  race.  They  appear  the  more  a  mystery  the 
longer  one  gazes  at  them.  It  seems  as  if  there  were  an 
important  meaning  to  them,  if  one  could  but  find  it  out. 
One  interesting  trait  in  them  is  their  perfect  indepen 
dence  of  character.  They  care  not  for  man,  and  will 
not  adapt  themselves  to  his  notions,  as  other  beasts  do ; 
but  are  true  to  themselves,  and  act  out  their  hoggish 
nature. 

October  7th.  —  Since  Saturday   last  (it  being  now 


1841.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  31 

Thursday),  I  have  been  in  Boston  and  Salem,  and  thero 
has  been  a  violent  storm  and  rain  during  the  whole 
time.  This  morning  shone  as  bright  as  if  it  meant  to 
make  up  for  all  the  dismalness  of  the  past  days.  Our 
brook,  which  in  the  summer  was  no  longer  a  running 
stream,  but  stood  in  pools  along  its  pebbly  course,  is 
now  full  from  one  grassy  verge  to  the  other,  and  hur 
ries  along  with  a  murmuring  rush.  It  will  continue  to 
swell,  I  suppose,  and  in  the  winter  and  spring  it  will 
flood  all  the  broad  meadows  through  which  it  flows. 

I  have  taken  a  long  walk  this  forenoon  along  the 
Needham  road,  and  across  the  bridge,  thence  pursuing 
a  cross-road  through  the  woods,  parallel  with  the  river, 
which  I  crossed  again  at  Dedham.  Most  of  the  road 
lay  through  a  growth  of  young  oaks  principally.  They 
still  retain  their  verdure,  though,  looking  closely  in 
among  them,  one  perceives  the  broken  sunshine  falling 
on  a  few  sere  or  bright-hued  tufts  of  shrubbery.  In 
low,  marshy  spots,  on  the  verge  of  the  meadows  or 
along  the  river-side,  there  is  a  much  more  marked  au 
tumnal  change.  Whole  ranges  of  bushes  are  ther€. 
painted  with  many  variegated  hues,  not  of  the  brightest 
tint,  but  of  a  sober  cheerfulness.  I  suppose  this  is  owing 
more  to  the  late  rains  than  to  the  frost ;  for  a  heavy 
rain  changes  the  foliage  somewhat  at  this  season.  The 
first  marked  frost  was  seen  last  Saturday  morning. 
Soon  after  sunrise  it  lay,  white  as  snow,  over  all  the 
grass,  and  on  the  tops  of  the  fences,  and  in  the  yard,  on 
the  heap  of  firewood.  On  Sunday,  I  think,  there  was  a 
fall  of  snow,  which,  however,  did  not  lie  on  the  ground 
a  moment. 

There  is  no  season  when  such  pleasant  and  sunny 


32  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

spots  may  be  lighted  on,  and  produce  so  pieasant  an 
effect  on  the  feelings,  as  now  in  October.  The  sunshine 
is  peculiarly  genial ;  and  in  sheltered  places,  as  on  the 
side  of  a  bank,  or  of  a  barn  or  house,  one  becomes  ac 
quainted  and  friendly  with  the  sunshine.  It  seems  to 
be  of  a  kindly  and  homely  nature.  And  the  green 
grass,  strewn  with  a  few  withered  leaves,  looks  the 
more  green  and  beautiful  for  them.  In  summer  or 
spring,  Nature  is  farther  from  one's  sympathies. 

October  8th.  —  Another  gloomy  day,  lowering  with 
portents  of  rain  close  at  hand.  I  have  walked  up  into 
the  pastures  this  morning,  and  looked  about  me  a  little. 
The  woods  present  a  very  diversified  appearance  just 
now,  with  perhaps  more  varieties  of  tint  than  they  are 
destined  to  wear  at  a  somewhat  later  period.  There 
are  some  strong  yellow  hues,  and  some  deep  red ;  there 
are  innumerable  shades  of  green,  some  few  having  the 
depth  of  summer ;  others,  partially  changed  towards 
yellow,  look  freshly  verdant  with  the  delicate  tinge  of 
early  summer  or  of  May.  /  Then  there  is  the  solemn 
and  dark  green  of  the  pines.  The  effect  is,  that  every 
tree  in  the  wood  and  every  bush  among  the  shrubbery 
has  a  separate  existence,  since,  confusedly  intermingled, 
each  wears  its  peculiar  color,  instead  of  being  lost  in  the 
universal  emerald  of  summer.  And  yet  there  is  a  one 
ness  of  effect  likewise,  when  we  choose  to  look  at  a  whole 
sweep  of  woodland  instead  of  analyzing  its  component 
trees.  Scattered  over  the  pasture,  which  the  late  rains 
have  kept  tolerably  green,  there  are  spots  or  islands  of 
dusky  red,  —  a  deep,  substantial  hue,  very  well  fit  to  be 
pJose  to  the  ground,  —  while  the  yellow  and  light,  £in- 


1841.J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  33 

tastic  shades  of  green  soar  upward  to  the  sky.  These 
red  spots  are  the  blueberry  and  whortleberry  bushes. 
The  sweet-fern  is  changed  mostly  to  russet,  but  still  re 
tains  its  wild  and  delightful  fragrance  when  pressed  in 
the  hand.  Wild  China-asters  are  scattered  about,  but 
beginning  to  wither.  A  little  while  ago,  mushrooms  or 
toadstools  were  very  numerous  along  the  wood-paths 
and  by  the  road-sides,  especially  after  rain.  Some  were 
of  spotless  white,  some  yellow,  and  some  scarlet.  They 
are  always  mysteries  and  objects  of  interest  to  me, 
springing  as  they  do  so  suddenly  from  no  root  or  seed, 
and  growing  one  wonders  why.  I  think,  too,  that  some 
varieties  are  pretty  objects,  little  fairy  tables,  centre- 
tables,  standing  on  one  leg.  But  their  growth  appears 
to  be  checked  now,  and  they  are  of  a  brown  tint  and 
decayed. 

The  farm  business  to-day  is  to  dig  potatoes.  I  worked 
a  little  at  it.  The  process  is  to  grasp  all  the  stems  of  a 
hill  and  pull  them  up.  A  great  many  of  the  potatoes 
are  thus  pulled,  clinging  to  the  stems  and  to  one  anoth 
er  in  curious  shapes,  —  long  red  things,  and  little  round 
ones,  embedded  in  the  earth  which  clings  to  the  roots. 
These  being  plucked  off,  the  rest  of  the  potatoes  are 
dug  out  of  the  hill  with  a  hoe,  the  tops  being  flung  into 
a  heap  for  the  cow-yard.  On  my  way  home  I  paused 
to  inspect  the  squash-field.  Some  of  the  squashes  lay 
in  heaps  as  they  were  gathered,  presenting  much  variety 
of  shape  and  hue,  —  as  golden  yellow,  like  great  lumps 
of  gold,  dark  green,  striped  and  variegated ;  and  some 
were  round,  and  some  lay  curling  their  long  necks, 
nestling,  as  it  were,  and  seeming  as  if  they  had  lifev 

In  my  walk  yesterday  forenoon  I  passed  an  old  house 
2*  o 


54  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

which  seemed  to  be  quite  deserted.  It  was  a  two-story, 
wooden  house,  dark  and  weather-beaten.  The  front 
windows,  some  of  them,  were  shattered  and  open,  and 
others  were  boarded  up.  Trees  and  shrubbery  were 
growing  neglected,  so  as  quite  to  block  up  the  lower 
part.  There,  was  an  aged  barn  near  at  hand,  so  ruin 
ous  that  it  had  been  necessary  to  prop  it  up.  There 
were  two  old  carts,  both  of  which  had  lost  a  wheel. 
Everything  was  in  keeping.  At  first  I  supposed  that 
there  would  be  no  inhabitants  in  such  a  dilapidated 
place ;  but,  passing  on,  I  looked  back,  and  saw  a  de 
crepit  and  infirm  old  man  at  the  angle  of  the  house,  its 
fit  occupant.  The  grass,  however,  was  very  green  and 
beautiful  around  this  dwelling,  and,  the  sunshine  falling 
brightly  on  it,  the  whole  effect  was  cheerful  and  pleas 
ant.  It  seemed  as  if  the  world  was  so  glad  that  this 
desolate  old  place,  where  there  was  never  to  be  any 
more  hope  and  happiness,  could  not  at  all  lessen  the 
general  effect  of  joy. 

I  found  a  small  turtle  by  the  roadside,  where  he  had 
crept  to  warm  himself  in  the  genial  sunshine.  He  had 
a  sable  back,  and  underneath  his  shell  was  yellow,  and 
at  the  edges  bright  scarlet.  His  head,  tail,  and  claws 
were  striped  yellow,  black,  and  red.  He  withdrew 
himself  as  far  as  he  possibly  could  into  his  shell,  and 
absolutely  refused  to  peep  out,  even  when  I  put  him 
into  the  water.  Finally,  I  threw  him  into  a  deep  pool 
and  left  him.  These  mailed  gentlemen,  from  the  size 
of  a  foot  or  more  down  to  an  inch,  were  very  numerous 
in  the  spring ;  and  now  the  smaller  kind  appear  again. 

Saturday,   October  9th.  —  Still  dismal  weather.     Our 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE  BOOKS. 

household,  being  composed  in  great  measure  Sftyj^jsixL ^_ 
and  young  people,  is  generally  a  cheerful  one  enough, 
even  in  gloomy  weather.  For  a  week  past  we  have 
been  especially  gladdened  with  a  little  seamstress  from 
Boston,  about  seventeen  years  old ;  but  of  such  &  petite 
figure,  that,  at  first  view,  one  would  take  her  to  be 
hardly  in  her  teens.  She  is  very  vivacious  and  smart, 
laughing  and  singing  and  talking  all  the  time,  —  talking 
sensibly ;  but  still,  taking  the  view  of  matters  that  a  city 
girl  naturally  would.  If  she  were  larger  than  she  is, 
and  of  less  pleasing  aspect,  I  think  she  might  be  intol 
erable  ;  but  being  so  small,  and  with  a  fair  skin,  and  as 
healthy  as  a  wild-flower,  she  is  really  very  agreeable ; 
and  to  look  at  her  face  is  like  being  shone  upon  by  a 
ray  of  the  sun.  She  never  walks,  but  bounds  and 
dances  along,  and  this  motion,  in  her  diminutive  person, 
does  not  give  the  idea  of  violence.  It  is  like  a  bird, 
hopping  from  twig  to  twig,  and  chirping  merrily  all  the 
time.  Sometimes  she  is  rather  vulgar,  but  even  that 
works  well  enough  into  her  character,  and  accords  with 
it.  On  continued  observation,  one  discovers  that  she  is 
not  a  little  girl,  but  really  a  little  woman,  with  all  the 
prerogatives  and  liabilities  of  a  woman.  This  gives  a 
new  aspect  to  her,  while  the  girlish  impression  still 
remains,  and  is  strangely  combined  with  the  sense  that 
this  frolicsome  maiden  has  the  material  for  the  sober 
bearing  of  a  wife.  She  romps  with  the  boys,  runs  races 
with  them  in  the  yard,  and  up  and  down  the  stairs,  and 
is  heard  scolding  laughingly  at  their  rough  play.  She 
asks  William  Allen  to  place  her  "  on  top  of  that  horse," 
whereupon  he  puts  his  large  brown  hands  about  her 
and,  swinging  her  to  and  fro,  lifts  her  on  horse 


36  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  fl841. 

back.  William  threatens  to  rivet  two  horse-shoes  round 
her  neck,  for  having  clambered,  with  the  other  girls  and 
boys,  upon  a  load  of  hay,  whereby  the  said  load  lost  its 
balance  and  slid  off  the  cart.  She  strings  the  seed-ber 
ries  of  roses  together,  making  a  scarlet  necklace  of  them, 
which  she  fastens  about  her  throat.  She  gathers  flow 
ers  of  everlasting  to  wear  in  her  bonnet,  arranging  them 
with  the  skill  of  a  dress-maker.  In  the  evening,  she 
sits  singing  by  the  hour,  with  the  musical  part  of  the 
establishment,  often  breaking  into  laughter,  whereto  she 
is  incited  by  the  tricks  of  the  boys.  The  last  thing  one 
hears  of  her,  she  is  tripping  up  stairs  to  bed,  talking 
lightsomely  or  warbling ;  and  one  meets  her  in  the  morn 
ing,  the  very  image  of  bright  morn  itself,  smiling 
briskly  at  you,  so  that  one  takes  her  for  a  promise  of 
cheerfulness  through  the  day.  Be  it  said,  with  all  the 
rest,  that  there  is  a  perfect  maiden  modesty  in  her 
deportment.  She  has  just  gone  away,  and  the  last  I 
saw  of  her  was  her  vivacious  face  peeping  through  the 
curtain  of  the  cariole,  and  nodding  a  gay  farewell  to  the 
family,  who  were  shouting  their  adieus  at  the  door. 
With  her  otlnr  merits,  she  is  an  excellent  daughter, 
and  supports  her  mother  by  the  labor  of  her  hands.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  conceive  beforehand  how  much  can 
be  added  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  household  by  mere  sun- 
niness  of  temper  and  liveliness  of  disposition  ;  for  her 
intellect  is  very  ordinary,  and  she  never  says  anything 
worth  hearing,  or  even  laughing  at,  in  itself.  But  she 
herself  is  an  expression  well  worth  studying. 

Brook   Farm,    October   9th.  —  A    walk    this    after 
noon   to   Cow   Island.     The  clouds  had  broken  away 


1341.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  37 

towards  noon,  and  let  forth  a  few  sunbeams,  and  more 
and  more  blue  sky  ventured  to  appear,  till  at  last  it  was 
really  warm  and  sunny,  —  indeed,  rather  too  warm  in 
the  sheltered  hollows,  though  it  is  delightful  to  be  too 
warm  now,  after  so  much  stormy  dullness.  O  the  beauty 
of  grassy  slopes,  and  the  hollow  ways  of  paths  winding 
between  hills,  and  the  intervals  between  the  road  and 
wood-lots,  where  Summer  lingers  and  sits  down,  strewing 
dandelions  of  gold,  and  blue  asters,  as  her  parting  gifts 
and  memorials  !  I  went  to  a  grape-vine,  which  I  have 
already  visited  several  times,  and  found  some  clusters 
of  grapes  still  remaining,  and  now  perfectly  ripe.  Com 
ing  within  view  of  the  river,  I  saw  several  wild  ducks 
under  the  shadow  of  the  opposite  shore,  which  was  high, 
and  covered  with  a  grove  of  pines.  I  should  not  have 
discovered  the  ducks  had  they  not  risen  and  skimmed 
the  surface  of  the  glassy  stream,  breaking  its  dark  water 
with  a  bright  streak,  and,  sweeping  round,  gradually 
rose  high  enough  to  fly  away.  I  likewise  started  a 
partridge  just  within  the  verge  of  the  woods,  and  in 
another  place  a  large  squirrel  ran  across  the  wood-path 
from  one  shelter  of  trees  to  the  other.  Small  birds,  in 
flocks,  were  flitting  about  the  fields,  seeking  and  finding 
I  know  not  what  sort  of  food.  There  were  little  fish, 
also,  darting  in  shoals  through  the  pools  and  depths  of 
the  brooks,  which  are  now  replenished  to  their  brims, 
and  rush  towards  the  river  with  a  swift,  amber-colored 
current. 

Cow  Island  is  not  an  island,  —  at  least,  at  this  season, 
—  though,  I  believe,  in  the  time  of  freshets,  the  marshy 
Charles  floods  the  meadows  all  round  about  it,  and  ex 
tends  across  its  communication  with  the  main-land.  The 


38  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

path  to  it  is  a  very  secluded  one,  threading  a  wood  of 
pines,  and  just  wide  enough  to  admit  the  loads  of  meadow 
hay  which  are  drawn  from  the  splashy  shore  of  the 
river.  The  Island  has  a  growth  of  stately  pines,  with 
tall  and  ponderous  stems,  standing  at  distance  enough  to 
admit  the  eye  to  travel  far  among  them ;  and,  as  there 
is  no  underbrush,  the  effect  is  somewhat  like  looking 
among  the  pillars  of  a  church. 

I  returned  home  by  the  high-road.  On  my  right, 
separated  from  the  road  by  a  level  field,  perhaps  fifty 
yards  across,  was  a  range  of  young  forest-trees,  dressed 
in  their  garb  of  autumnal  glory.  The  sun  shone  direct 
ly  upon  them ;  and  sunlight  is  like  the  breath  of  life  to 
the  pomp  of  autumn.  In  its  absence,  one  doubts  wheth 
er  there  be  any  truth  in  what  poets  have  told  about 
the  splendor  of  an  American  autumn ;  but  when  this 
charm  is  added,  one  feels  that  the  effect  is  beyond  de 
scription.  As  I  beheld  it  to-day,  there  was  nothing 
dazzling ;  it  was  gentle  and  mild,  though  brilliant  and 
diversified,  and  had  a  most  quiet  and  pensive  influence. 
And  yet  there  were  some  trees  that  seemed  really  made 
of  sunshine,  and  others  were  of  a  sunny  red,  and  the 
whole  picture  was  painted  with  but  little  relief  of  dark 
some  hues,  —  only  a  few  evergreens.  But  there  was 
nothing  inharmonious  ;  and,  on  closer  examination,  it 
appeared  that  all  the  tints  had  a  relationship  among 
themselves.  And  this,  I  suppose,  is  the  reason  that, 
while  Nature  seems  to  scatter  them  so  carelessly,  they 
still  never  shock  the  beholder  by  their  contrasts,  nor 
disturb,  but  only  soothe.  The  brilliant  scarlet  and  the 
brilliant  yellow  are  different  hues  of  the  maple-leaves, 
and  the  first  changes  into  the  last.  I  saw  one  maple- 


184 1. J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  39 

tree,  its  centre  yellow  as  gold,  set  in  a  framework  of  red. 
The  native  poplars  have  different  shades  of  green,  verg 
ing  towards  yellow,  and  are  very  cheerful  in  the  sun 
shine.  Most  of  the  oak-leaves  have  still  the  deep  ver 
dure  of  summer ;  but  where  a  change  has  taken  place, 
it  is  into  a  russet-red,  warm,  but  sober.  These  colors, 
infinitely  varied  by  the  progress  which , different  trees 
have  made  in  their  decay,  constitute  almost  the  whole 
glory  of  autumnal  woods  ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  conceive 
how  much  is  done  with  such  scanty  materials.  In  m^ 
whole  walk  I  saw  only  one  man,  and  he  was  at  a  dis 
tance,  in  the  obscurity  of  the  trees.  He  had  a  horse 
-md  a  wagon,  and  was  getting  a  load  of  dry  brushwood. 

Sunday,  October  10th. — I  visited  my  grape-vine  this 
afternoon,  and  ate  the  last  of  its  clusters.  This  vine 
climbs  around  a  young  maple-tree,  which  has  now  as 
sumed  the  yellow  leaf.  The  leaves  of  the  vine  are 
more  decayed  than  those  of  the  maple.  Thence  to  Cow 
Island,  a  solemn  and  thoughtful  walk.  Returned  by 
another  path  of  the  width  of  a  wagon,  passing  through  a 
grove  of  hard  wood,  the  lightsome  hues  of  which  make 
the  walk  more  cheerful  than  among  the  pines.  The 
roots  of  oaks  emerged  from  the  soil,  and  contorted  them 
selves  across  the  path.  The  sunlight,  also,  broke  across 
in  spots,  and  otherwheres  the  shadow  was  deep ;  but 
still  there  was  intermingling  enough  of  bright  hues  to 
keep  off  the  gloom  from  the  whole  path. 

Brooks  and  pools  have  a  peculiar  aspect  at  this  sea 
son.  One  knows  that  the  water  must  be  cold,  and  one 
shivers  a  little  at  the  sight  of  it ;  and  yet  the  grass  about 
the  pool  may  be  of  the  deepest  green,  and  the  sun  may 


40  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

be  shining  into  it.  The  withered  leaves  which  over 
hanging  trees  shed  upon  its  surface  contribute  much  tc 
the  effect. 

Insects  have  mostly  vanished  in  the  fields  and  woods. 
I  hear  locusts  yet,  singing  in  the  sunny  hours,  and 
crickets  have  not  yet  finished  their  song.  Once  in  a 
while  I  see  a  caterpillar,  —  this  afternoon,  for  instance, 
a  red,  hairy  one,  with  black  head  and  tail.  They  do 
not  appear  to  be  active,  and  it  makes  one  rather  melan 
choly  to  look  at  them. 

Tuesday,  October  12th.  —  The  cawing  of  the  crow  re 
sounds  among  the  woods.  A  sentinel  is  aware  of  your 
approach  a  great  way  off,  and  gives  the  alarm  to  his 
comrades  loudly  and  eagerly,  —  Caw,  caw,  caw  !  Imme 
diately  the  whole  conclave  replies,  and  you  behold  them 
rising  above  the  trees,  flapping  darkly,  and  winging 
their  way  to  deeper  solitudes.  Sometimes,  however, 
they  remain  till  you  come  near  enough  to  discern  their 
sable  gravity  of  aspect,  each  occupying  a  separate  bough, 
or  perhaps  the  blasted  tip-top  of  a  pine.  As  you  ap 
proach,  one  after  another,  with  loud  cawing,  flaps  his 
wings  and  throws  himself  upon  the  air. 

There  is  hardly  a  more  striking  feature  in  the  land 
scape  now-a-days  than  the  red  patches  of  blueberry  and 
whortleberry  bushes,  as  seen  on  a  sloping  hillside,  like 
islands  among  the  grass,  with  trees  growing  in  them  ; 
or  crowning  the  summit  of  a  bare,  brown  hill  with  their 
somewhat  russet  liveliness  ;  or  circling  round  the  base 
of  an  earth-embedded  rock.  At  a  distance,  this  hue, 
clothing  spots  and  patches  of  the  earth,  looks  more  like 
a  picture  than  anything  eroe,---  yet  such  a  picture  as  I 
never  saw  painted. 


J841.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  41 

The  oaks  are  now  beginning  to  look  sere,  and  their 
leaves  have  withered  borders.  It  is  pleasant  to  notice 
the  wide  circle  of  greener  grass  beneath  the  circumfer 
ence  of  an  overshadowing  oak.  Passing  an  orchard, 
one  hears  an  uneasy  rustling  in  the  trees,  and  not  as  if 
they  were  struggling  with  the  wind.  Scattered  about 
are  barrels  to  contain  the  gathered  apples  ;  and  perhaps 
a  great  heap  of  golden  or  scarlet  apples  is  collected  in 
one  place. 

Wednesday,  October  13th.  —  A  good  view,  from  an 
upland  swell  of  our  pasture,  across  the  valley  of  the 
river  Charles.  There  is  the  meadow,  as  level  as  a  floor, 
and  carpeted  with  green,  perhaps  two  miles  from  the 
rising  ground  on  this  side  of  the  river  to  that  on  the  op 
posite  side.  The  stream  winds  through  the  midst  of  the 
flat  space,  without  any  banks  at  all ;  for  it  fills  its  bed 
almost  to  the  brim,  and  bathes  the  meadow  grass  on  either 
side.  A  tuft  of  shrubbery,  at  broken  intervals,  is  scat 
tered  along  its  border ;  and  thus  it  meanders  sluggishly 
along,  without  other  life  than  what  it  gains  from  gleam 
ing  in  the  sun.  Now,  into  the  broad,  smooth  meadow, 
as  into  a  lake,  capes  and  headlands  put  themselves  forth, 
and  shores  of  firm  woodland  border  it,  covered  with  va 
riegated  foliage,  making  the  contrast  so  much  the  stronger 
of  their  height  and  rough  outline  with  the  even  spread 
of  the  plain.  And  beyond,  and  far  away,  rises  a  long, 
gradual  swell  of  country,  covered  with  an  apparently 
dense  growth  of  foliage  for  miles,  till  the  horizon  termi 
nates  it ;  and  here  and  there  is  a  house,  or  perhaps  two, 
among  the  contiguity  of  trees.  Everywhere  the  trees 
wear  their  autumnal  dress,  so  that  the  whole  landscape 


42  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [184L 

is  red,  russet,  orange,  and  yellow,  blending  in  the  dis 
tance  into  a  rich  tint  of  brown-orange,  or  nearly  that,  — 
except  the  green  expanse  so  definitely  hemmed  in  by 
the  highei  ground. 

I  took  a  long  walk  this  morning,  going  first  neai  ly  to 
Newton,  thence  nearly  to  Brighton,  thence  to  Jamaica 
Plain,  and  thence  home.  It  was  a  fine  morning,  with  a 
northwest  wind ;  cool  when  facing  the  wind,  but  warm 
and  most  genially  pleasant  in  sheltered  spots ;  and 
warm  enough  everywhere  while  I  was  in  motion.  I 
traversed  most  of  the  by-ways  which  offered  themselves 
to  me ;  and,  passing  through  one  in  which  there  was  a 
double  line  of  grass  between  the  wheel-tracks  and  that 
of  the  horses'  feet,  I  came  to  where  had  once  stood  a 
farm-house,  which  appeared  to  have  been  recently  torn 
down.  Most  of  the  old  timber  and  boards  had  been 
carted  away ;  a  pile  of  it,  however,  remained.  The 
cellar  of  the  house  was  uncovered,  and  beside  it  stood 
the  base  and  middle  height  of  the  chimney.  The  oven, 
in  which  household  bread  had  been  baked  for  daily 
food,  and  puddings  and  cake  and  jolly  pumpkin-pies  for 
festivals,  opened  its  mouth,  being  deprived  of  its  iron 
door.  The  fireplace  was  close  at  hand.  All  round 
the  site  of  the  house  was  a  pleasant,  sunny,  green  space, 
with  old  fruit-trees  in  pretty  fair  condition,  though  aged. 
There  was  a  barn,  also  aged,  but  in  decent  repair ;  and 
i  ruinous  shed,  on  the  corner  of  which  was  nailed  a 
boy's  windmill,  where  it  had  probably  been  turning  and 
clattering  for  years  together,  till  now  it  was  black  with 
time  and  weather-stain.  It  was  broken,  but  still  it  went 
round  whenever  the  wind  stirred.  The  spot  was  entire 
ly  secluded,  there  being  no  other  house  within  a  mile 
or  two. 


1841.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOORS.  43 

No  language  can  give  an  idea  of  the  beauty  and  glory 
of  the  trees,  just  at  this  moment.  It  would  be  easy,  by 
a  process  of  word-daubing,  to  set  down  a  confused  group 
of  gorgeous  colors,  like  a  bunch  of  tangled  skeins  of 
bright  silk ;  but  there  is  nothing  of  the  reality  in  the 
glare  which  would  thus  be  produced.  And  yet  the 
splendor  both  of  individual  clusters  and  of  whole  scenes 
is  unsurpassable.  The  oaks  are  now  far  advanced  in 
their  change  of  hue  ;  and,  in  certain  positions  relatively 
to  the  sun,  they  light  up  and  gleam  with  a  most  mag 
nificent  deep  gold,  varying  according  as  portions  of  the 
foliage  are  in  shadow  or  sunlight.  On  the  sides  which 
receive  the  direct  rays,  the  effect  is  altogether  rich  ;  and 
in  other  points  of  view  it  is  equally  beautiful,  if  less 
brilliant.  This  color  of  the  oak  is  more  superb  than 
the  lighter  yellow  of  the  maples  and  walnuts.  The 
whole  landscape  is  now  covered  with  this  indescribable 
pomp ;  it  is  discerned  on  the  uplands  afar  off;  and  Blue 
Hill  in  Milton,  at  the  distance  of  several  miles,  actually 
glistens  with  rich,  dark  light,  —  no,  not  glistens,  nor 
gleams,  —  but  perhaps  to  say  glows  subduedly  will  be 
a  truer  expression  for  it. 

Met  few  people  this  morning ;  a  grown  girl,  in  com 
pany  with  a  little  boy,  gathering  barberries  in  a  secluded 
lane ;  a  portly,  autumnal  gentleman,  wrapped  in  a 
great- coat,  who  asked  the  way  to  Mr.  Joseph  God- 
dard's  ;  and  a  fish-cart  from  the  city,  the  driver  of  which 
Bounded  his  horn  along  the  lonesome  way. 

Monday,  October  \§th.  —  There  has  been  a  succession 
of  days  which  were  cold  and  bright  in  the  forenoon,  and 
gray,  sullen,  and  chill  towards  night.  The  woods  have 


44  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [184... 

now  taken  a  soberer  tint  than  they  wore  at  my  last 
date.  Many  of  the  shrubs  which  looked  brightest  a 
little  while  ago  are  now  wholly  bare  of  leaves.  The 
oaks  have  generally  a  russet-brown  shade,  although 
some  of  them  are  still  green,  as  are  likewise  other  scat 
tered  trees  in  the  forests.  The  bright  yellow  and  the 
rich  scarlet  are  no  more  to  be  seen.  Scarcely  any  of 
them  will  now  bear  a  close  examination ;  for  this  shows 
them  to  be  rugged,  wilted,  and  of  faded,  frost-bitten 
hue ;  but  at  a  distance,  and  in  the  mass,  and  enlivened 
by  the  sun,  they  have  still  somewhat  of  the  varied 
splendor  which  distinguished  them  a  week  ago.  It  is 
wonderful  what  a  difference  the  sunshine  makes  ;  it  is 
like  varnish,  bringing  out  the  hidden  veins  in  a  piece  of 
rich  wood.  In  the  cold,  gray  atmosphere,  such  as  that 
of  most  of  our  afternoons  now,  the  landscape  lies  dark, 
—  brown,  and  in  a  much  deeper  shadow  than  if  it  were 
clothed  in  green.  But,  perchance,  a  gleam  of  sun  falls 
on  a  certain  spot  of  distant  shrubbery  or  woodland,  and 
we  see  it  brighten  with  many  hues,  standing  forth  prom 
inently  from  the  dimness  around  it.  The  sunlight 
gradually  spreads,  and  the  whole  sombre  scene  is 
changed  to  a  motley  picture,  —  the  sun  bringing  out 
many  shades  of  color,  and  converting  its  gloom  to  an 
almost  laughing  cheerfulness.  At  such  times  I  almost 
doubt  whether  the  foliage  has  lost  any  of  its  brilliancy. 
But  the  clouds  intercept  the  sun  again,  and  lo  !  old 
Autumn  appears,  clad  in  his  cloak  of  russet-brown. 

Beautiful  now,  while  the  general  landscape  lies  m 
shadow,  looks  the  summit  of  a  distant  hill  (say  a  mile 
off),  with  the  sunshine  brightening  the  trees  that  cover 
it.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  outlines  of  hills,  and  the 


I84L]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  45 

whole  bulk  of  them  at  the  distance  of  several  miles,  be 
come  stronger,  denser,  and  more  substantial  in  this 
autumn  atmosphere  and  in  these  autumnal  tints  than  in 
summer.  Then  they  looked  blue,  misty,  and  dim. 
Now  they  show  their  great  humpbacks  more  plainly,  as 
if  they  had  drawn  nearer  to  us. 

A  waste  of  shrubbery  and  small  trees,  such  as  over 
runs  the  borders  of  the  meadows  for  miles  together, 
looks  much  more  rugged,  wild,  and  savage  in  its  pres 
ent  brown  color  than  when  clad  in  green. 

I  passed  through  a  very  pleasant  wood-path  yester 
day,  quite  shut  in  and  sheltered  by  trees  that  had  not 
thrown  off  their  yellow  robes.  The  sun  shone  strongly 
in  among  them,  and  quite  kindled  them ;  so  that  the 
path  was  brighter  for  their  shade  than  if  it  had  been 
quite  exposed  to  the  sun. 

In  the  village  graveyard,  which  lies  contiguous  to 
the  street,  I  saw  a  man  digging  a  grave,  and  one  inhab 
itant  after  another  turned  aside  from  his  way  to  look 
into  the  grave  and  talk  with  the  digger.  I  heard  him 
laugh,  with  the  traditionary  mirthfulness  of  men  of  that 
occupation. 

In  the  hollow  of  the  woods,  yesterday  afternoon,  I 
lay  a  long  while  watching  a  squirrel,  who  was  capering 
about  among  the  trees  over  my  head  (oaks  and  white- 
pines,  so  close  together  that  their  branches  intermingled). 
The  squirrel  seemed  not  to  approve  of  my  presence, 
for  he  frequently  uttered  a  sharp,  quick,  angry  noise, 
like  that  of  a  scissors-grinder's  wheel.  Sometimes  I 
could  see  him  sitting  on  an  impending  bough,  with  his 
tail  over  his  back,  looking  down  pryingly  upon  me.  It 
seems  to  be  a  natural  posture  with  him,  to  sit  on  his 


4G  AMERICAN    NOTE-COOKS.  [J84J. 

hind  legs,  holding  up  his  fore  paws.  Anon,  with  a  pe 
culiarly  quick  start,  he  would  scramble  along  the  branch, 
and  be  lost  to  sight  in  another  part  of  the  tree,  whence 
his  shrill  chatter  would  again  be  heard.  Then  I  would 
see  him  rapidly  descending  the  trunk,  and  running  along 
the  ground  ;  and  a  moment  afterwards,  casting  my  eye 
upward,  I  beheld  him  flitting  like  a  bird  among  the 
high  limbs  at  the  summit,  directly  above  me.  After 
wards,  he  apparently  became  accustomed  to  my  society, 
and  set  about  some  business  of  his  own.  lie  came 
down  to  the  ground,  took  up  a  piece  of  a  decayed 
bough  (a  heavy  burden  for  such  a  small  personage), 
and,  with  this  in  his  mouth,  again  climbed  up  and 
passed  from  the  branches  of  one  tree  to  those  of  an 
other,  and  thus  onward  and  onward  till  he  went  out 
of  sight.  Shortly  afterwards  he  returned  for  another 
burden,  and  this  he  repeated  several  times.  I  suppose 
he  was  building  a  nest,  —  at  least,  I  know  not  what  else 
could  have  been  his  object.  Never  was  there  such  an 
active,  cheerful,  choleric,  continually-in-motion  fellow  as 
this  little  red  squirrel,  talking  to  himself,  chattering  at 
me,  and  as  sociable  in  his  own  person  as  if  he  had 
half  a  dozen  companions,  instead  of  being  alone  in  the 
lonesome  wood.  Indeed,  he  flitted  about  so  quickly, 
and  showed  himself  in  different  places  so  suddenly,  that 
I  was  in  some  doubt  whether  there  were  not  two  or 
three  of  them. 

I  must  mention  again  the  very  beautiful  effect  pro 
duced  by  the  masses  of  berry-bushes,  lying  like  scarlet 
islands  in  the  midst  of  withered  pasture-ground,  or 
crowning  the  tops  of  barren  hills.  Their  hue,  at  a 
distance,  is  lustrous  scarlet,  although  it  does  not  look 


1841."!  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  47 

nearly  as  bright  and  gorgeous  when  examined  close 
at  hand.  But  at  a  proper  distance  it  is  a  beautiful 
fringe  on  Autumn's  petticoat. 

Friday,  October  22d.  —  A  continued  succession  of 
unpleasant,  Novembery  days,  and  autumn  has  made 
rapid  progress  in  the  work  of  decay.  It  is  now  some 
what  of  a  rare  good  fortune  to  find  a  verdant,  grassy 
spot,  on  some  slope,  or  in  a  dell ;  and  even  such  sel 
dom-seen  oases  are  bestrewn  with  dried  brown  leaves, 
—  which,  however,  methinks,  make  the  short,  fresh 
grass  look  greener  around  them.  Dry  leaves  are  no\v 
plentiful  everywhere,  save  where  there  are  none  but 
pine-trees.  They  rustle  beneath  the  tread,  and  there 
is  nothing  more  autumnal  than  that  sound.  Never 
theless,  in  a  walk  this  afternoon  I  have  seen  two  oaks 
which  retained  almost  the  greenness  of  summer.  They 
grew  close  to  the  huge  Pulpit  Rock,  so  that  portions 
of  their  trunks  appeared  to  grasp  the  rough  surface; 
and  they  were  rooted  beneath  it,  and,  ascending  high 
into  the  air,  overshadowed  the  gray  crag  with  verd 
ure.  Other  oaks,  here  and  there,  have  a  few  green 
leaves  or  boughs  among  their  rustling  and  rugged 
shade. 

Yet,  dreary  as  the  woods  are  in  a  bleak,  sullen  day, 
there  is  a  very  peculiar  sense  of  warmth  and  a  sort  of 
lichness  of  effect  in  the  slope  of  a  bank  and  in  shel 
tered  spots,  where  bright  sunshine  falls,  and  the  brown 
oaken  foliage  is  gladdened  by  it.  There  is  then  a 
feeling  of  comfort,  and  consequently  of  heart-warmth, 
which  cannot  be  experienced  in  summer. 

I  walked  this  afternoon  along  a  pleasant  wood-path, 


48  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1841. 

gently  winding,  so  that  but  little  of  it  could  be  seen  at 
a  time,  and  going  up  and  down  small  mounds,  now 
plunging  into  a  denser  shadow  and  now  emerging  from 
it.  Part  of  the  way  it  was  strewn  with  the  dusky,  yel 
low  leaves  of  white-pines,  —  the  cast-off  garments  of 
last  year;  part  of  the  way  with  green  grass,  close- 
cropped,  and  very  fresh  for  the  season.  Sometimes  the 
trees  met  across  it ;  sometimes  it  was  bordered  on  one 
side  by  an  old  rail-fence  of  moss-grown  cedar,  with 
bushes  sprouting  beneath  it,  and  thrusting  their  branches 
through  it ;  sometimes  by  a  stone  wall  of  unknown  an 
tiquity,  older  than  the  wood  it  closed  in.  A  stone  wall, 
when  shrubbery  has  grown  around  it,  and  thrust  its 
roots  beneath  it,  becomes  a  very  pleasant  and  medita 
tive  object.  It  does  not  belong  too  evidently  to  man, 
having  been  built  so  long  ago.  It  seems  a  part  of  na 
ture. 

Yesterday  I  found  two  mushrooms  in  the  woods, 
probably  of  the  preceding  night's  growth.  Also  I  saw 
a  mosquito,  frost-pinched,  and  so  wretched  that  I  felt 
avenged  for  all  the  injuries  which  his  tribe  inflicted 
upon  me  last  summer,  and  so  did  not  molest  this  lone 
survivor. 

Walnuts  in  their  green  rinds  are  falling  from  the 
trees,  and  so  are  chestnut-burrs. 

I  found  a  maple-leaf  to-day,  yellow  all  over,  except 
its  extremest  point,  which  was  bright  scarlet.  It  looked 
as  if  a  drop  of  blood  were  hanging  from  it.  The  first 
change  of  the  maple-leaf  is  to  scarlet;  the  next,  to 
yellow.  Then  it  withers,  wilts,  and  drops  off,  as  most 
of  them  have  already  done. 


1S42.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  49 

October  21th.  —  Fringed  gentians,  —  I  found  the  last, 
probably,  that  will  be  seen  this  year,  growing  on  the 
margin  of  the  brook. 

1842.  —  Some  man  of  powerful  character  to  com 
mand  a  person,  morally  subjected  to  him,  to  perform 
some  act.  The  commanding  person  suddenly  to  die ; 
and,  for  all  the  rest  of  his  life,  the  subjected  one  con 
tinues  to  perform  that  act. 

"  Solomon  dies  during  the  building  of  the  temple, 
6ut  his  body  remains  leaning  on  a  staff,  and  overlooking 
the  workmen,  as  if  it  were  alive." 

A  tri-weekly  paper,  to  be  called  the  Tertian  Ague. 

Subject  for  a  picture,  —  Satan's  reappearance  in 
Pandemonium,  shining  out  from  a  mist,  with  "shape 
star-bright." 

Five  points  of  Theology,  —  Five  Points  at  New 
York. 

It  seems  a  greater  pity  that  an  accomplished  worker 
with  the  hand  should  perish  prematurely,  than  a  per 
son  of  great  intellect;  because  intellectual  arts  may 
6e  cultivated  in  the  next  world,  but  not  physical  ones. 

To  trace  out  the  influence  of  a  frightful  and  dis 
graceful  crime  in  debasing  and  destroying  a  character 
naturally  high  and  noble,  the  guilty  person  being  alone 
conscious  of  the  crime. 

VOL.    II.  3  D 


50  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

A  man,  virtuous  in  his  general  conduct,  but  com 
mitting  habitually  some  monstrous  crime,  —  as  murder, 
—  and  doing  this  without  the  sense  of  guilt,  but  with  a 
peaceful  conscience,  —  habit,  probably,  reconciling  him 
to  it;  but  something  (for  instance,  discovery)  occurs 
to  make  him  sensible  of  his  enormity.  His  horror  then. 

The  strangeness,  if  they  could  be  foreseen  and  fore 
thought,  of  events  which  do  not  seem  so  strange  after 
they  have  happened.  As,  for  instance,  to  muse  over 
a  child's  cradle,  and  foresee  all  the  persons  in  different 
parts  of  the  world  with  whom  he  would  have  rela 
tions 

A  man  to  swallow  a  small  snake,  —  and  it  to  be  a 
symbol  of  a  cherished  sin. 

Questions  as  to  unsettled  points  of  history,  and  mys 
teries  of  nature,  to  be  asked  of  a  mesmerized  person. 

Gordier,  a  young  man  of  the  Island  of  Jersey,  was 
paying  his  addresses  to  a  young  lady  of  Guernsey. 
He  visited  the  latter  island,  intending  to  be  married. 
He  disappeared  on  his  way  from  the  beach  to  his 
mistress's  residence,  and  was  afterwards  found  dead 
in  a  cavity  of  the  rocks.  After  a  time,  Galliard,  a 
merchant  of  Guernsey,  paid  his  addresses  to  the  young 
lady ;  but  she  always  felt  a  strong,  unaccountable  an 
tipathy  to  him.  He  presented  her  with  a  beautiful 
trinket.  The  mother  of  Gordier,  chancing  to  see  this 
trinket,  recognized  it  as  having  been  bought  by  her 
dead  son  as  a  present  for  his  mistress.  She  expired 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  51 

on  learning  this ;  and  Galliard,  being  suspected  of  the 
murder,  committed  suicide. 

The  cure  of  Montreux  in  Switzerland,  ninety-six 
years  old,  still  vigorous  in  mind  and  body,  and  able  to 
preach.  He  had  a  twin-brother,  also  a  preacher,  and 
the  exact  likeness  of  himself.  Sometimes  strangers 
have  beheld  a  white-haired,  venerable  clerical  per 
sonage,  nearly  a  century  old ;  and,  upon  riding  a  few 
miles  farther,  have  been  astonished  to  meet  again  this 
white-haired,  venerable,  century-old  personage. 

When  the  body  of  Lord  Mohun  (killed  in  a  duel)  was 
carried  home,  bleeding,  to  his  house,  Lady  Mohun  was 
very  angry  because  it  was  u  flung  upon  the  best  bed." 

A  prophecy,  somewhat  in  the  style  of  Swift's  about 
Partridge,  but  embracing  various  events  and  person 
ages. 

An  incident  that  befell  Dr.  Harris,  while  a  Junior  at 
college.  Being  in  great  want  of  money  to  buy  shirts  or 
other  necessaries,  and  not  knowing  how  to  obtain  it,  he 
set  out  on  a  walk  from  Cambridge  to  Boston.  On  the 
way,  he  cut  a  stick,  and,  after  walking  a  short  distance, 
perceived  that  something  had  become  attached  to  the 
end  of  it.  It  proved  to  be  a  gold  ring,  with  the  motto, 
"  God  speed  thee,  friend.'* 

Brobdingnag  lay  on  the  northwest  coast  of  the  Ameri 
pan  continent. 

A  gush  of  violets  along  a  wood-path. 


52  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1812. 

People  with  false  hair  and  other  artifices  may  be  sup 
posed  to  deceive  Death  himself,  so  that  he  does  not 
know  when  their  hour  is  come. 

Bees  are  sometimes  drowned  (or  suffocated)  in  the 
honey  which  they  collect.  So  some  writers  are  lost  in 
their  collected  learning. 

Advice  of  Lady  Pepperell's  father  on  her  marriage, 
—  never  to  worfc  one  moment  after  Saturday  sunset,  — 
never  to  lay  down  her  knitting  except  in  the  middle  of 
the  needle,  —  always  to  rise  with  the  sun,  —  to  pass  an 
hour  daily  with  the  housekeeper,  —  to  visit  every  room 
daily  from  garret  to  cellar,  —  to  attend  herself  to  the 
brewing  of  beer  and  the  baking  of  bread,  —  and  to  in 
struct  every  member  of  the  family  in  their  religious 
duties. 

Service  of  plate,  presented  by  the  city  of  London  to 
Sir  William  Pepperell,  together  with  a  table  of  solid  sil 
ver.  The  table  very  narrow,  but  long  ;  the  articles  of 
plate  numerous,  but  of  small  dimensions,  —  the  tureen 
not  holding  more  than  three  pints.  At  the  close  of  the 
Revolution,  when  the  Pepperell  and  Sparhawk  property 
was  confiscated,  this  plate  was  sent  to  the  grandson  of 
Sir  William,  in  London.  It  was  so  valuable,  that 
Sheriff  Moulton  of  old  York,  with  six  well-armed  men, 
accompanied  it  to  Boston.  Pepperell's  only  daughter 
married  Colonel  Sparhawk,  a  fine  gentleman  of  the  day. 
Andrew  Pepperell,  the  son,  was  rejected  by  a  young 
lady  (afterwards  the  mother  of  Mrs.  General  Knox),  to 
whom  he  was  on  the  point  of  marriage,  as  being 


1842.  J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  53 

addicted  to  low  company  and  low  pleasures.  The  lover, 
two  days  afterwards,  in  the  streets  of  Portsmouth,  was 
sun-struck,  and  fell  down  dead.  Sir  William  had  built 
an  elegant  house  for  his  son  and  his  intended  wife ;  but 
after  the  death  of  the  former  he  never  entered  it.  He 
lost  his  cheerfulness  and  social  qualities,  and  gave  up 
intercourse  with  people,  except  on  business.  Very  anx 
ious  to  secure  his  property  to  his  descendants  by  the 
provisions  of  his  will,  which  was  drawn  up  by  Judge 
Sewall,  then  a  young  lawyer.  Yet  the  Judge  lived  to 
see  two  of  Sir  William's  grandchildren  so  reduced  that 
they  were  to  have  been  numbered  among  the  town's 
poor,  and  were  only  rescued  from  this  fate  by  private 
charity. 

The  arms  and  crest  of  the  Pepperell  family  were  dis 
played  over  the  door  of  every  room  in  Sir  William's 
house.  In  Colonel  Sparhawk's  house  there  were  forty 
portraits,  most  of  them  in  full  length.  The  house  built 
for  Sir  William's  son  was  occupied  as  barracks  during 
the  Revolution,  and  much  injured.  A  few  years  after 
the  peace,  it  was  blown  down  by  a  violent  tempest,  and 
finally  no  vestige  of  it  was  left,  but  there  remained  only 
a  summer-house  and  the  family  tomb. 

At  Sir  William's  death,  his  mansion  was  hung  with 
black,  while  the  body  lay  in  state  for  a  week.  All  the 
Sparhawk  portraits  were  covered  with  black  crape,  and 
the  family  pew  was  draped  with  black.  Two  oxen 
were  roasted,  and  liquid  hospitality  dispensed  in  pro 
portion. 

Old  lady's  dress  seventy  or  eighty  years  ago.  Brown 
brocade  gown,  with  a  nice  lawn  handkerchief  and  apron, 


5-i  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

—  short  sleeves,  with  a  little  ruffle,  just  below  the  el- 
bo^ —  black  mittens,  —  a  lawn  cap,  with  rich  lace  bor- 
derj  —  a  black  velvet  hood  on  the  back  of  the  head,  tied 
with  black  ribbon  under  the  chin.  She  sat  in  an  old- 
fashioned  easy-chair,  in  a  small,  low  parlor,  —  the  wain 
scot  joainted  entirely  black,  and  the  walls  hung  with  a 
dark  velvet  paper. 

A  table,  stationary  ever  since  the  house  was  built, 
extending  the  whole  length  of  a  room.  One  end  was 
raised  two  steps  higher  than  the  rest.  The  Lady 
Ursuia,  an  early  Colonial  heroine,  was  wont  to  dine  at 
the  upper  end,  while  her  servants  sat  below.  This  was 
in  the  kitchen.  An  old  garden  and  summer-house,  and 
roses,  currant-bushes,  and  tulips,  which  Lady  Ursula 
had  bi  ought  from  Grondale  Abbey  in  Old  England. 
Although  a  nundred  and  fifty  years  before,  and  though 
their  roots  were  propagated  all  over  the  country,  they 
were  still  flourishing  in  the  original  garden.  This  Lady 
Ursula  was  the  daughter  of  Lord  Thomas  Cutts  of 
Grondale  Abbey  in  England.  She  had  been  in  love 
with  an  officer  named  Fowler,  who  was  supposed  to 
have  been  slain  in  battle.  After  the  death  of  her  father 
and  mother,  Lady  Ursula  came  to  Kittery,  bringing 
twenty  men-servants  and  several  women.  After  a  time, 
a  letter  arrived  from  her  lover,  who  was  not  killed,  but 
merely  a  prisoner  to  the  French.  He  announced  his 
purpose  to  come  to  America,  where  he  would  arrive  in 
October.  A  few  days  after  the  letter  came,  she  went 
out  in  a  low  carriage  to  visit  her  work-people,  and  was 
blessing  the  food  for  their  luncheon,  when  she  fell  dead, 
struck  by  an  Indian  tomahawk,  as  did  all  the  rest  save 
one.  They  were  buried  where  the  massacre  took  place, 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  55 

and  a  stone  was  erected,  which  (possibly)  still  remains. 
The  lady's  family  had  a  grant  from  Sir  Ferdinando 
Gorges  of  the  territory  thereabout,  and  her  brother  had 
likewise  come  over  and  settled  in  the  vicinity.  I 
believe  very  little  of  this  story.  Long  afterwards,  at 
about  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  a  descend 
ant  of  Fowler  came  from  England,  and  applied  to  the 
Judge  of  Probate  to  search  the  records  for  a  will,  sup 
posed  to  have  been  made  by  Lady  Ursula  in  favor  of 
her  lover  as  soon  as  she  heard  of  his  existence.  In  the 
mean  time  the  estate  had  been  sold  to  Colonel  Whipple. 
No  will  could  be  found.  (Lady  Ursula  was  old  Mrs. 
Cutts,  widow  of  President  Cutts.) 

The  mode  of  living  of  Lady  Ursula's  brother  in  Kit- 
tery.  A  drawbridge  to  the  house,  which  was  raised 
every  evening,  and  lowered  in  the  morning,  for  the 
laborers  and  the  family  to  pass  out.  They  kept  thirty 
cows,  a  hundred  sheep,  and  several  horses.  The  house 
spacious,  —  one  room  large  enough  to  contain  forty  or 
fifty  guests.  Two  silver  branches  for  candles,  —  the 
walls  ornamented  with  paintings  and  needle-work.  The 
floors  were  daily  rubbed  with  wax,  and  shone  like  a  ma 
hogany  table.  A  domestic  chaplain,  who  said  prayers 
every  morning  and  evening  in  a  small  apartment  called 
the  chapel.  Also  a  steward  and  butler.  The  family 
attended  the  Episcopal  Church  at  Christmas,  Easter, 
and  Good  Friday,  and  gave  a  grand  entertainment  once 
a  year. 

Madam  Cutts,  at  the  last  of  these  entertainments, 
wore  a  black  damask  gown,  and  cuffs  with  double  lace 
ruffles,  velvet  shoes,  blue  silk  stockings,  white  and  sil 
ver  stomacher.  The  daughter  and  granddaughters  in 


50  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

rich  brocades  and  yellow  satin.  Old  Major  Cutts  in 
brown  velvet,  laced  with  gold,  and  a  large  wig.  The 
parson  in  his  silk  cassock,  and  his  helpmate  in  brown 
damask.  Old  General  Atkinson  in  scarlet  velvet,  and 
his  wife  and  daughters  in  white  damask.  The  Gover 
nor  in  black  velvet,  and  his  lady  in  crimson  tabby 
trimmed  with  silver.  The  ladies  wore  bell-hoops,  high- 
heeled  shoes,  paste  buckles,  silk  stockings,  and  enor 
mously  high  head-dresses,  with  lappets  of  Brussels  lace 
hanging  thence  to  the  waist. 

Among  the  eatables,  a  silver  tub  of  the  capacity  of 
four  gallons,  holding  a  pyramid  of  pancakes  powdered 
with  white  sugar. 

The  date  assigned  to  all  this  about  1690. 

What  is  the  price  of  a  day's  labor  in  Lapland,  where 
the  sun  never  sets  for  six  months  ? 

Miss  Asphyxia  Davis ! 

A  life,  generally  of  a  grave  hue,  may  be  said  to  be 
embroidered  with  occasional  sports  and  fantasies. 

A  father  confessor,  —  his  reflections  on  character,  and 
the  contrast  of  the  inward  man  with  the  outward,  as  he 
looks  around  on  his  congregation,  all  whose  secret  sins 
are  known  to  him. 

A  person  with  an  ice-cold  hand,  —  his  right  hand, 
which  people  ever  afterwards  remember  when  once  they 
have  grasped  it. 

A  stove  possessed  by  a  Devil. 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  57 

June  1st,  1842.  —  One  of  my  chief  amusements  is  to 
see  the  boys  sail  their  miniature  vessels  on  the  Frog 
Pond.  There  is  a  great  variety  of  shipping  owned 
among  the  young  people,  and  they  appear  to  have  a 
considerable  knowledge  of  the  art  of  managing  vessels. 
There  is  a  full-rigged  man-of-war,  with,  I  believe,  every 
spar,  rope,  and  sail,  that  sometimes  makes  its  appear 
ance;  and,  when  on  a  voyage  across  the  pond,  it  so 
identically  resembles  a  great  ship,  except  in  size,  that 
it  has  the  effect  of  a  picture.  All  its  motions,  —  its  toss 
ing  up  and  down  on  the  small  waves,  and  its  sinking  and 
rising  in  a  calm  swell,  its  heeling  to  the  breeze,  —  the 
whole  effect,  in  short,  is  that  of  a  real  ship  at  sea ; 
while,  moreover,  there  is  something  that  kindles  the 
imagination  more  than  the  reality  would  do.  If  we  see 
a  real,  great  ship,  the  mind  grasps  and  possesses,  with 
in  its  real  clutch,  all  that  there  is  of  it ;  while  here  the 
mimic  ship  is  the  representation  of  an  ideal  one,  and  so 
gives  us  a  more  imaginative  pleasure.  There  are  many 
schooners  that  ply  to  and  fro  on  the  pond,  and  pilot- 
boats,  all  perfectly  rigged.  I  saw  a  race,  the  other  day, 
between  the  ship  above  mentioned  and  a  pilot-boat,  in 
which  the  latter  came  off  conqueror.  The  boys  appear 
to  be  well  acquainted  with  all  the  ropes  and  sails, 
and  can  call  them  by  their  nautical  names.  One 
of  the  owners  of  the  vessels  remains  on  one  side  of 
the  pond,  and  the  other  on  the  opposite  side,  and  so 
they  send  the  little  bark  to  and  fro,  like  merchants  of 
different  countries,  consigning  their  vessels  to  one  an 
other. 

Generally,  when  any  vessel  is  on  the  pond,  there  are 
full-grown  spectators,  who  look  on  with  as  much  u»t"i 
3* 


58  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  flS42. 

est  as  the  boys  themselves.  Towards  sunset,  this  is 
especially  the  case  :  for  then  are  seen  young  girls  and 
theii  lovers ;  mothers,  with  their  little  boys  in  hand  ; 
school-girls,  beating  hoops  round  about,  and  occasionally 
running  to  the  side  of  the  pond ;  rough  tars,  or  perhaps 
masters  or  young  mates  of  vessels,  who  make  remarks 
about  the  miniature  shipping,  and  occasionally  give 
professional  advice  to  the  navigators ;  visitors  from  the 
country  ;  gloved  and  caned  young  gentlemen  ;  —  in 
short,  everybody  stops  to  take  a  look.  In  the  mean 
time,  dogs  are  continually  plunging  into  the  pond,  and 
swimming  about,  with  noses  pointed  upward,  and 
snatching  at  floating  chips ;  then,  emerging,  they 
shake  themselves,  scattering  a  horizontal  shower  on 
the  clean  gowns  of  ladies  and  trousers  of  gentlemen  ; 
then  scamper  to  and  fro  on  the  grass,  with  joyous 
barks. 

Some  boys  cast  off  lines  of  twine  with  pin-hooks, 
and  perhaps  pull  out  a  horned-pout,  —  that  being,  I 
think,  the  only  kind  of  fish  that  inhabits  the  Frog 
Pond. 

The  ship-of-war  above  mentioned  is  about  three  feet 
from  stem  to  stern,  or  possibly  a  few  inches  more.  This, 
if  I  mistake  not,  was  the  size  of  a  ship-of-the-line  in  the 
navy  of  Liliput. 

Fancy  pictures  of  familiar  places  which  one  has  never 
been  in,  as  the  green-room  of  a  theatre,  &c. 

The  famous  characters  of 'history,  —  to  imagine  their 
spirits  now  extant  on  earth,  in  the  guise  of  various 
public  or  private  personages. 


1812.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  59 

The  case  quoted  in  Combe's  Physiology  of  a  young 
man  of  great  talents  and  profound  knowledge  of  chem 
istry,  who  had  in  view  some  new  discovery  of  impor 
tance.  In  order  to  put  his  mind  into  the  highest  pos 
sible  activity,  he  shut  himself  up  for  several  succes 
sive  days,  and  used  various  methods  of  excitement. 
He  had  a  singing-girl,  he  drank  spirits,  smelled 
penetrating  odors,  sprinkled  Cologne-water  round  the 
room,  &c.,  &c.  Eight  days  thus  passed,  when  he 
was  seized  with  a  fit  of  frenzy  which  terminated  in 
mania. 

Flesh  and  Blood,  —  a  firm  of  butchers. 
Miss  Polly  Syllable,  a  schoolmistress. 
Mankind  are  earthen  jugs  with  spirits  in  them. 

A  spendthrift,  —  in  one  sense  he  has  his  money's 
worth  by  the  purchase  of  large  lots  of  repentance  and 
other  dolorous  commodities. 

To  symbolize  moral  or  spiritual  disease  by  disease  of 
the  body ;  as  thus,  —  when  a  person  committed  any  sin, 
it  might  appear  in  some  form  on  the  body,  —  this  to  be 
wrought  out." 

"  Shrieking  fish,"  a  strange  idea  of  Leigh  Hunt. 

In  my  museum,  all  the  ducal  rings  that  have  been 
thrown  into  the  Adriatic. 


GO  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

An  association  of  Ir.erary  men  in  the  other  world, 
—  or  dialogues  of  the  dead,  or  something  of  that 
kind. 

Imaginary  diseases  to  be  cured  by  impossible  reme 
dies,  —  as  a  dose  of  the  Grand  Elixir,  in  the  yolk  of  a 
Phoenix's  egg.  The  disease  may  be  either  moral  or 
physical. 

A  physician  for  the  cure  of  moral  diseases. 

To  point  out  the  moral  slavery  of  one  who  deems 
himself  a  free  man. 

A  stray  leaf  from  the  book  of  fate,  picked  up  in  tho 
street. 

Concord,  August  5th.  —  A  rainy  day,  —  a  rainy 
day.  I  am  commanded  to  take  pen  in  hand,  and  I  am 
therefore  banished  to  the  little  ten-foot-square  apartment 
misnamed  my  study ;  but  perhaps  the  dismalness  of  the 
day  and  the  dulness  of  my  solitude  will  be  the  promi- 
njnt  characteristics  of  what  I  write.  And  what  is 
there  to  write  about  ?  Happiness  has  no  succession  of 
events,  because  it  is  a  part  of  eternity ;  and  we  have 
been  living  in  eternity  ever  since  we  came  to  this  old 
manse.  Like  Enoch,  we  seem  to  have  been  translated 
to  the  other  state  of  being,  without  having  passed  through 
death.  Our  spirits  must  have  flitted  away  unconscious 
ly,  and  we  can  only  perceive  that  we  have  cast  off  our 
mortal  part  by  the  more  real  and  earnest  life  of  our 
souls.  Externally,  our  Paradise  has  very  much  the 


154'<J.~j  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  Gl 

aspect  of  a  pleasant  old  domicile  on  earth.  This  antique 
house,  —  for  it  looks  antique,  though  it  was  created  by 
Providence  expressly  for  our  use,  and  at  the  precise 
time  when  we  wanted  it, —  stands  behind  a  noble  avenue 
of  balm-of-Gilead  trees  ;  and  when  we  chance  to  observe 
a  passing  traveller  through  the  sunshine  and  the  shadow 
of  this  long  avenue,  his  figure  appears  too  dim  and 
remote  to  disturb  the  sense  of  blissful  seclusion.  Few, 
indeed,  are  the  mortals  who  venture  within  our  sacred 
precincts.  George  Prescott,  who  has  not  yet  grown 
earthly  enough,  I  suppose,  to  be  debarred  from  occa 
sional  visits  to  Paradise,  comes  daily  to  bring  three 
pints  of  milk  from  some  ambrosial  cow ;  occasionally, 
also,  he  makes  an  offering  of  mortal  flowers.  Mr.  Em 
erson  comes  sometimes,  and  has  been  feasted  on  our 
nectar  and  ambrosia.  Mr.  Thoreau  has  twice  listened 
to  the  music  of  the  spheres,  which,  for  our  private  con 
venience,  we  have  packed  into  a  musical  box.  E 

H ,  who  is  much  more  at  home  among  spirits  than 

among  fleshly  bodies,  came  hither  a  few  times  merely 
to  welcome  us  to  the  ethereal  world  ;  but  latterly  she 
has  vanished  into  some  other  region  of  infinite  space. 
One  rash  mortal,  on  the  second  Sunday  aft^r  our  arrival, 
obtruded  himself  upon  us  in  a  gig.  There  have  since 
been  three  or  four  callers,  who  preposterously  think 
that  the  courtesies  of  the  lower  world  are  to  be  responded 
to  by  people  whose  home  is  in  Paradise.  I  mrst  not 
forget  to  mention  that  the  butcher  comes  twice  or  t.1  rice 
a  week ;  and  we  have  so  far  improved  upon  the  custom 
of  Adam  and  Eve,  that  we  generally  Airnish  forth  our 
feasts  with  portions  of  some  delicate  calf  or  lamb,  whose 
unspotted  innocence  entitles  them  to  t'.e  happiness  o! 


62  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

becoming  our  sustenance.  Would  that  I  were  permitted 
to  record  the  celestial  dainties  that  kind  Heaven  pro 
vided  for  us  on  the  first  day  of  our  arrival !  Never, 
surely,  was  such  food  heard  of  on  earth,  —  at  least,  not 
by  me.  Well,  the  above-mentioned  persons  are  nearly  all 
that  have  entered  into  the  hallowed  shade  of  our  avenue  ; 
except,  indeed,  a  certain  sinner  who  came  to  bargain 
for  the  grass  in  our  orchard,  and  another  who  came  with 
a  new  cistern.  For  it  is  one  of  the  drawbacks  upon  our 
Eden  that  it  contains  no  water  fit  either  to  drink  or  to 
bathe  in ;  so  that  the  showers  have  become,  in  good 
truth,  a  godsend.  I  wonder  why  Providence  does  not 
cause  a  clear,  cold  fountain  to  bubble  up  at  our  doorstep  ; 
methinks  it  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  pray  for  such 
a  favor.  At  present  we  are  under  the  ridiculous  neces 
sity  of  sending  to  the  outer  world  for  water.  Only  im 
agine  Adam  trudging  out  of  Paradise  with  a  bucket  in 
each  hand,  to  get  water  to  drink,  or  for  Eve  to  bathe 
in !  Intolerable  !  (though  our  stout  handmaiden  really 
fetches  our  water).  In  other  respects  Providence  has 
treated  us  pretty  tolerably  well;  but  here  I  shall  ex 
pect  something  further  to  be  done.  Also,  in  the  way 
of  future  favors,  a  kitten  would  be  very  acceptable. 
Animals  (except,  perhaps,  a  pig)  seem  never  out  of 
place,  even  in  the  most  paradisiacal  spheres.  And,  by 
the  way,  a  young  colt  comes  up  our  avenue,  now  and 
then,  to  crop  the  seldom-trodden  herbage ;  and  so  does 
a  company  of  cows,  whose  sweet  breath  well  repays  us 
for  the  food  which  they  obtain.  There  are  likewise  a 
few  hens,  whose  quiet  cluck  is  heard  pleasantly  about 
the  house.  A  black  dog  sometimes  stands  at  the  farther 
extremity  of  the  avenue,  and  looks  wistfully  hitherward  ; 


1842."]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  C3 

but  when  I  whistle  to  him,  he  puts  his  tail  between  his 
legs,  and  trots  away.  Foolish  dog!  if  he  had  more 
faith,  he  should  have  bones  enough. 

Saturday,  August  6th.  —  Still  a  dull  day,  threatening 
rain,  yet  without  energy  .of  character  enough  to  rain  out 
right.  However,  yesterday  there  were  showers  enough 
to  supply  us  well  with  their  beneficent  outpouring.  As 
to  the  new  cistern,  it  seems  to  be  bewitched ;  for,  while 
the  spout  pours  into  it  like  a  cataract,  it  still  remains 
almost  empty.  I  wonder  where  Mr.  Hosmer  got  it ; 
perhaps  from  Tantalus,  under  the  eaves  of  whose  palace 
it  must  formerly  have  stood ;  for,  like  his  drinking-cup 
in  Hades,  it  has  the  property  of  filling  itself  forever, 
and  never  being  full. 

After  breakfast  I  took  my  fishing-rod,  and  went  down 
through  our  orchard  to  the  river-side ;  but  as  three  or 
four  boys  were  already  in  possession  of  the  best  spots 
along  the  shore,  I  did  not  fish.  This  river  of  ours  is 
the  most  sluggish  stream  that  I  ever  was  acquainted 
with.  I  had  spent  three  weeks  by  its  side,  and  swam 
across  it  every  day,  before  I  could  determine  which  way 
its  current  ran ;  and  then  I  was  compelled  to  decide  the 
question  by  the  testimony  of  others,  and  not  by  my  own 
observation.  Owing  to  this  torpor  of  the  stream,  it  has 
nowhere  a  bright,  pebbly  shore,  nor  is  there  so  much  as 
a  narrow  strip  of  glistening  sand  in  any  part  of  its  course; 
but  it  slumbers  along  between  broad  meadows,  or  kisses 
the  tangled  grass  of  mowing-fields  and  pastures,  or 
bathes  the  overhanging  boughs  of  elder-bushes  and  other 
water-loving  plants.  Flags  and  rushes  grow  along 
its  shallow  margin.  The  yellow  water-lily  spreads  its 


G4  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1342. 

broati,  flat  leaves  upon  its  surface ;  and  the  fragrant 
white  pond-lily  occurs  in  many  favored  spots,  —  gen 
erally  selecting  a  situation  just  so  far  from  the  river's 
brink  that  it  cannot  be  grasped  except  at  the  hazard  of 
nluno-inw  in.  But  thanks  be  to  the  beautiful  flower  for 

I  O       O 

growing  at  any  rate.  It  is  a  marvel  whence  it  derives 
its  loveliness  and  perfume,  sprouting  as  it  does  from  the 
black  mud  over  which  the  river  sleeps,  and  from  which 
the  yellow  lily  likewise  draws  its  unclean  life  and  noi 
some  odor.  So  it  is  with  many  people  in  this  world : 
the  same  soil  and  circumstances  may  produce  the  good 
and  beautiful,  and  the  wicked  and  ugly.  Some  have 
the  faculty  of  assimilating  to  themselves  only  what  is 
evil,  and  so  they  become  as  noisome  as  the  yellow 
water-lily.  Some  assimilate  none  but  good  influences, 
and  their  emblem  is  the  fragrant  and  spotless  pond-lily, 
whose  very  breath  is  a  blessing  to  all  the  region  round 

about Among  the  productions  of  the  river's 

margin,  I  myst  not  forget  the  pickerel-weed,  which 
grows  just  on  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  shoots  up  a 
long  stalk  crowned  with  a  blue  spire,  from  among  large 
green  leaves.  Both  the  flower  and  the  leaves  look 
well  in  a  vase  with  pond-lilies,  and  relieve  the  unvaried 
whiteness  of  the  latter ;  and,  being  all  alike  children  of 

7  O 

the  waters,  they  are    perfectly   in  keeping   with    one 

another 

I  bathe  once,  and  often  twice,  a  day  in  our  river 
but  one  dip  into  the  salt  sea  would  be  worth  more  than 
a  whole  week's  soaking  in  such  a  lifeless  tide.  I  have 
read  of  a  river  somewhere  (whether  it  be  in  classic 
regions  or  among  our  Western  Indians  I  know  not) 
which  seemed  to  dissolve  and  steal  away  the  vigor  of 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  63 

I  hose  who  bathed  in  it.  Perhaps  our  stream  will  be 
found  to  have  this  property.  Its  water,  however,  ia 
pleasant  in  its  immediate  effect,  being  as  soft  as  milk, 
ind  always  warmer  than  the  air.  Its  hue  has  a  slight 
tinge  of  gold,  and  my  limbs,  when  I  behold  them 
through  its  medium,  look  tawny.  I  am  not  aware  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Concord  resemble  their  native  river 
in  any  of  their  moral  characteristics.  Their  forefathers, 
certainly,  seem  to  have  had  the  energy  and  impetus  of 
a  mountain  torrent,  rather  than  the  torpor  of  this  listless 
stream,  —  as  it  was  proved  by  the  blood  with  which 
they  stained  their  river  of  Peace.  It  is  said  there  are 
plenty  of  fish  in  it;  but  my  most  important  captures 
hitherto  have  been  a  mud-turtle  and  an  enormous  eel. 
The  former  made  his  escape  to  his  native  element,  — 
the  latter  we  ate  ;  and  truly  he  had  the  taste  of  the 
whole  river  in  his  flesh,  with  a  very  prominent  flavor  of 
mud.  On  the  whole,  Concord  River  is  no  great  favorite 
of  mine ;  but  I  am  glad  to  have  any  river  at  all  so  near 
at  hand,  it  being  just  at  the  bottom  of  our  orchard. 
Neither  is  it  without  a  degree  and  kind  of  picturesque- 
ness,  both  in  its  nearness  and  in  the  distance,  when  a 
blue  gleam  from  its  surface,  among  the  green  meadows 
and  woods,  seems  like  an  open  eye  in  Earth's  counte 
nance.  Pleasant  it  is,  too,  to  behold  a  little  flat-bottomed 
skiff  gliding  over  its  bosom,  which  yields  lazily  to  the 
stroke  of  the  paddle,  and  allows  the  boat  to  go  against 
its  current  almost  as  freely  as  with  it.  Pleasant,  too, 
to  watch  an  angler,  as  he  strays  along  the  brink,  some 
times  sheltering  himself  behind  a  tuft  of  bushes,  and 
trailing  his  line  along  the  water,  in  hopes  to  catch  a 
fuckerel.  But,  taking  the  river  for  all  in  all,  I  can  find 


66  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842 

nothing  more  fit  to  compare  it  with  than  one  of  the 
half-torpid  earthworms  which  I  dig  up  for  bait.  The 
worm  is  sluggish,  and  so  is  the  river,  —  the  river  is 
muddy,  and  so  is  the  worm.  You  hardly  know  whether 
either  of  them  be  alive  or  dead ;  but  still,  in  the  course 
of  time,  they  both  manage  to  creep  away.  The  best 
aspect  of  the  Concord  is  when  there  is  a  northwestern 
breeze  curling  its  surface,  in  a  bright,  sunshiny  day. 
It  then  assumes  a  vivacity  not  its  own.  Moonlight, 
also,  gives  it  beauty,  as  it  does  to  all  scenery  of  earth 
or  water. 

Sunday,  August  7th.  —  At  sunset  last  evening  I 
ascended  the  hill-top  opposite  our  house ;  and,  looking 
downward  at  the  long  extent  of  the  river,  it  struck  me 
that  I  had  done  it  some  injustice  in  my  remarks. 
Perhaps,  like  other  gentle  and  quiet  characters,  it  will 
be  better  appreciated  the  longer  I  am  acquainted  with 
it.  Certainly,  as  I  beheld  it  then,  it  was  one  of  the 
loveliest  features  in  a  scene  of  great  rural  beauty.  It 
was  visible  through  a  course  of  two  or  three  miles, 
sweeping  in  a  semicircle  round  the  hill  on  which  I  stood 
and  being  the  central  line  of  a  broad  vale  on  either 
side.  At  a  distance,  it  looked  like  a  strip  of  sky  set 
into  the  earth,  which  it  so  etherealized  and  idealized 
that  it  seemed  akin  to  the  upper  regions.  Nearer  the 
base  of  the  hill,  I  could  discern  the  shadows  of  every 
tree  and  rock,  imaged  with  a  distinctness  that  made 
them  even  more  charming  than  the  reality;  because, 
knowing  them  to  be  unsubstantial,  they  assumed  the 
ideality  which  the  soul  always  craves  in  the  contempla 
tion  of  earthly  beauty.  All  the  sky,  too,  arid  the  rich 


1842.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  67 

clouds  of  sunset,  were  reflected  in  the  peaceful  bosom 
of  the  river  ;  and  surely,  if  its  bosom  can  give  back  such 
an  adequate  reflection  of  heaven,  it  cannot  be  so  gross 
and  impure  as  I  described  it  yesterday.  Or,  if  so,  it 
shall  be  a  symbol  to  me  that  even  a  human  breast, 
which  may  appear  least  spiritual  in  some  aspects,  may 
still  have  the  capability  of  reflecting  an  infinite  heaven 
in  its  depths,  and  therefore  of  enjoying  it.  It  is  a 
comfortable  thought,  that  the  smallest  and  most  turbid 
mud-puddle  can  contain  its  own  picture  of  heaven. 
Let  us  remember  this,  when  we  feel  inclined  to  deny  all 
spiritual  life  to  some  people,  in  whom,  nevertheless,  our 
Father  may  perhaps  see  the  image  of  His  face.  This 
dull  river  has  a  deep  religion  of  its  own :  so,  let  us 
trust,  has  the  dullest  human  soul,  though,  perhaps,  un 
consciously. 

The  scenery  of  Concord,  as  I  beheld  it  from  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  has  no  very  marked  characteristics, 
but  has  a  great  deal  of  quiet  beauty,  in  keeping  with 
the  river.  There  are  broad  and  peaceful  meadows, 
which,  I  think,  are  among  the  most  satisfying  objects  in 
natural  scenery.  The  heart  reposes  on  them  with  a 
feeling  that  few  things  else  can  give,  because  almost  all 
other  objects  are  abrupt  and  clearly  defined;  but  a 
meadow  stretches  out  like  a  small  infinity,  yet  with  a 
secure  homeliness  which  we  do  not  find  either  in  an  ex 
panse  of  water  or  of  air.  The  hills  which  border  these 
meadows  are  wide  swells  of  land,  or  long  and  gradual 
ridges,  some  of  them  densely  covered  with  wood.  The 
white  village,  at  a  distance  on  the  left,  appears  to  be 
embosomed  among  wooded  hills.  The  verdure  of  the 
country  is  much  more  perfect  than  is  usual  at  thia 


G8  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842- 

season  of  the  year,  when  the  autumnal  hue  has  generally 
made  considerable  progress  over  trees  and  grass.  Last 
evening,  after  the  copious  showers  of  the  preceding  two 
days,  it  was  worthy  of  early  June,  or,  indeed,  of  a  world 
just  created.  Had  I  not  then  been  alone,  I  should  have 
had  a  far  deeper  sense  of  beauty,  for  I  should  have 
looked  through  the  medium  of  another  spirit.  Along 
the  horizon  there  were  masses  of  those  deep  clouds  in 
which  the  fancy  may  see  images  of  all  things  that  ever 
existed  or  were  dreamed  of.  Over  our  old  manse,  of 
which  I  could  catch  but  a  glimpse  among  its  embower 
ing  trees,  appeared  the  immensely  gigantic  figure  of  a 
hound,  crouching  down  with  head  erect,  as  if  keeping 
watchful  guard  while  the  master  of  -ihe  mansion  was 

away How  sweet  it  was  to  draw  near  my    own 

home,  after  having  lived  homeless  in  the  world  so  long ! 
....  With  thoughts  like  these,  I  descended  the  hill,  and 
clambered  over  the  stone  wall,  and  crossed  the  road,  and 
passed  up  our  avenue,  while  the  quaint  old  house  puf 
on  an  aspect  of  welcome. 

Monday,  August  8th.  —  I  wish  I  could  give  a  descrip 
tion  of  our  house,  for  it  really  has  a  character  of  it* 
own,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  most  edifices  in 
these  days.  It  is  two  stories  high,  with  a  third  e'ory  01" 
attic  chambers  in  the  gable-roof.  When  I  first  visited 
it,  early  in  June,  it  looked  pretty  much  as  it  did  during 
the  old  clergyman's  lifetime,  showing  all  the  dust  and 
disarray  that  might  be  supposed  to  have  gathered  about 
him  in  the  course  of  sixty  years  of  occupancy.  The 
rooms  seemed  never  to  have  been  painted ;  at  all  events, 
the  walls  and  panels,  as  well  as  the  huge  cross-beams. 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  G9 

had  a  venerable  and  most  dismal  tinge  of  brown.  The 
furniture  consisted  of  high-backed,  short-legged,  rheu 
matic  chairs,  small,  old  tables,  bedsteads  with  lofty 
posts,  stately  chests  of  drawers,  looking-glasses  in  an 
tique  black  frames,  all  of  which  were  probably  fashion 
able  in  the  days  of  Dr.  Ripley's  predecessor.  It  re 
quired  some  energy  of  imagination  to  conceive  the  idea 
of  transforming  this  ancient  edifice  into  a  comfortable 
modern  residence.  However,  it  has  been  successfully 
accomplished.  The  old  Doctor's  sleeping  apartment, 
which  was  the  front  room,  on  the  ground-floor,  we  have 
converted  into  a  parlor;  and  by  the  aid  of  cheerful 
paint  and  paper,  a  gladsome  carpet,  pictures  and  en 
gravings,  new  furniture,  bijouterie,  and  a  daily  supply 
of  flowers,  it  has  become  one  of  the  prettiest  and  pleas- 
antest  rooms  in  the  whole  World.  The  shade  of  our 
departed  host  will  never  haunt  it;  for  its  aspect  has 
been  changed  as  completely  as  the  scenery  of  a  theatre. 
Probably  the  ghost  gave  one  peep  into  it,  uttered  a 
groan,  and  vanished  forever.  The  opposite  room  has 
been  metamorphosed  into  a  store-room.  Through  the 
house,  both  in  the  first  and  second  story,  runs  a  spacious 
hall  or  entry,  occupying  more  space  than  is  usually  de 
voted  to  such  a  purpose  in  modern  times.  This  feature 
contributes  to  give  the  whole  house  an  airy,  roomy,  and 
convenient  appearance  ;  we  can  breathe  the  freer  by 
the  aid  of  the  broad  passage-way.  The  front  door  of 
the  hall  looks  up  the  stately  avenue,  which  I  have  al 
ready  mentioned ;  and  the  opposite  door  opens  into  the 
orchard,  through  which  a  path  descends  to  the  river. 
In  the  second  story  we  have  at  present  fitted  up  three 
rooms,  —  one  being  our  own  chamber,  and  *he  opp 


70  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

one  a  guest-chamber,  which  contains  the  most  present- 
able  of  the  old  Doctor's  ante-Revolutionary  furniture. 
After  all,  the  moderns  have  invented  nothing  better,  as 
chamber  furniture,  than  these  chests  of  drawers,  which 
stand  on  four  slender  legs,  and  rear  an  absolute  tower 
of  mahogany  to  the  ceiling,  the  whole  terminating  in  a 
fantastically  carved  summit.  Such  a  venerable  struct 
ure  adorns  our  guest-chamber.  In  the  rear  of  the 
house  is  the  little  room  which  I  call  my  study,  and 
which,  in  its  day,  has  witnessed  the  intellectual  labors 
of  better  students  than  myself.  It  contain?,  with  some 
additions  and  alterations,  the  furniture  of  my  bachelor- 
room  in  Boston  ;  but  there  is  a  happier  disposal  of  things 
now.  There  is  a  little  vase  of  flowers  on  one  of  the 
bookcases,  and  a  larger  bronze  vase  of  graceful  ferns 
that  surmounts  the  bureau.  In  size  the  room  is  just 
what  it  ought  to  be  ;  for  I  never  could  compress  my 
thoughts  sufficiently  to  write  in  a  very  spacious  room. 
It  has  three  windows,  two  of  which  are  shaded  by  a 
large  and  beautiful  willow-tree,  which  sweeps  against 
the  overhanging  eaves.  On  this  side  we  have  a  view 
into  the  orchard,  and,  beyond,  a  glimpse  of  the  river. 
The  other  window  is  the  one  from  which  Mr.  Emerson, 
the  predecessor  of  Dr.  Ripley,  beheld  the  first  fight  of 
the  Revolution,  —  which  he  might  well  do,  as  the  British 
troops  were  drawn  up  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
house ;  and  on  looking  forth  just  now,  I  could  still  per 
ceive  the  western  abutments  of  the  old  bridge,  the  pas 
sage  of  which  was  contested.  The  new  monument  is 
visible  from  base  to  summit. 

Notwithstanding  all  we  have  done  to  modernize  the 
old  place,  we  seem  scarcely  to  have  disturbed  its  air  of 


1812.  J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  71 

antiquity.  It  is  evident  that  other  wedded  pairs  have 
spent  their  honeymoons  here,  that  children  have  been 
born  here,  and  people  have  grown  old  and  died  in  these 
rooms,  although  for  our  behoof  the  same  apartments 
have  consented  to  look  cheerful  once  again.  Then 
there  are  dark  closets,  and  strange  nooks  and  corners, 
where  the  ghosts  of  former  occupants  might  hide  them 
selves  in  the  daytime,  and  stalk  forth  when  night  con 
ceals  all  our  sacrilegious  improvements.  We  have  seen 
no  apparitions  as  yet ;  but  we  hear  strange  noises,  es 
pecially  in  the  kitchen,  and  last  night,  while  sitting  in 
the  parlor,  we  heard  a  thumping  and  pounding  as  of 
somebody  at  work  in  my  study.  Nay,  if  I  mistake  not 
(for  I  was  half  asleep),  there  was  a  sound  as  of  some 
person  crumpling  paper  in  his  hand  in  our  very  bed 
chamber.  This  must  have  been  old  Dr.  Ripley  with 
one  of  his  sermons.  There  is  a  whole  chest  of  them  in 
the  garret ;  but  he  need  have  no  apprehensions  of  our 
disturbing  them.  I  never  saw  the  old  patriarch  myself, 
which  I  regret,  as  I  should  have  been  glad  to  associate 
his  venerable  figure  at  ninety  years  of  age  with  the 
house  in  which  he  dwelt. 

Externally  the  house  presents  the  same  appearance 
as  in  the  Doctor's  day.  It  had  once  a  coat  of  white 
paint ;  but  the  storms  and  sunshine  of  many  years  have 
almost  obliterated  it,  and  produced  a  sober,  grayish  hue, 
which  entirely  suits  the  antique  form  of  the  structure. 
To  repaint  its  reverend  face  would  be  a  real  sacrilege. 
It  would  look  like  old  Dr.  Ripley  in  a  brown  wig.  I 
hardly  know  why  it  is  that  our  cheerful  and  lightsome 
repairs  and  improvements  in  the  interior  of  the  house 
seem  to  be  in  perfectly  good  taste,  though  the  heavy  old 


72  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOORS.  [1842. 

beams  and  high  wainscoting  of  the  walls  speak  of  ages 
gone  by.  But  so  it  is.  The  cheerful  paper-hangings 
have  the  air  of  belonging  to  the  old  walls ;  and  such 
modernisms  as  astral  lamps,  card-tables,  gilded  Cologne- 
bottles,  silver  taper-stands,  and  bronze  and  alabaster 
flower-vases,  do  not  seem  at  all  impertinent.  It  is  thus 
that  an  aged  man  may  keep  his  heart  warm  for  new 
things  and  new  friends,  and  often  furnish  himself  anew 
with  ideas ;  though  it  would  not  be  graceful  for  him  to 
attempt  to  suit  his  exterior  to  the  passing  fashions  of 
the  day. 

August  $th.  —  Our  orchard  in  its  day  has  been  a  very 
productive  and  profitable  one;  and  we  were  told  that 
in  one  year  it  returned  Dr.  Ripley  a  hundred  dollars, 
besides  defraying  the  expense  of  repairing  the  house. 
It  is  now  long  past  its  prime :  many  of  the  trees  are 
moss-grown,  and  have  dead  and  rotten  branches  in 
termixed  among  the  green  and  fruitful  ones.  And  it 
may  well  be  so ;  for  I  suppose  some  of  the  trees  may 
have  been  set  out  by  Mr.  Emerson,  who  died  in  the 
first  year  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Neither  will  the 
fruit,  probably,  bear  comparison  with  the  delicate  pro- 
luctions  of  modern  pomology.  Most  of  the  trees  seem 
to  have  abundant  burdens  upon  them ;  but  they  are 
homely  russet  apples,  fit  only  for  baking  and  cooking. 
(But  we  are  yet  to  have  practical  experience  of  our 
fruit.)  Justice  Shallow's  orchard,  with  its  choice  pip 
pins  and  leather-coats,  was  doubtless  much  superior. 
Nevertheless,  it  pleases  me  to  think  of  the  good  mjnis- 
ler,  walking  in  the  shadows  of  these  old,  fantastically 
shaped  apple-trees,  here  plucking  some  of  the  fruit  tc 


IS4LJ.  |  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  73 

taste,  there  pruning  away  a  too  luxuriant  branch,  and 
all  the  while  computing  how  many  barrels  may  be  filled, 
and  how  large  a  sum  will  be  added  to  his  stipend  by 
their  sale.  And  the  same  trees  offer  their  fruit  to  me 
as  freely  as  they  did  to  him,  —  their  old  branches,  like 
withered  hands  and  arms,  holding  out  apples  of  the 
same  flavor  as  they  held  out  to  Dr.  Ripley  in  his  life 
time.  Thus  the  trees,  as  living  existences,  form  a 
peculiar  link  between  the  dead  and  us.  My  fancy  has 
always  found  something  very  interesting  in  an  orchard. 
Apple-trees,  and  all  fruit-trees,  have  a  domestic  charac 
ter  which  brings  them  into  relationship  with  man. 
They  have  lost,  in  a  great  measure,  the  wild  nature  of 
the  forest-tree,  and  have  grown  humanized  by  receiving 
the  care  of  man,  and  by  contributing  to  his  wants. 
They  have  become  a  part  of  the  family  ;  and  their  indi 
vidual  characters  are  as  well  understood  arid  appreciated 
as  those  of  the  human  members.  One  tree  is  harsh  and 
crabbed,  another  mild ;  one  is  churlish  and  illiberal, 
another  exhausts  itself  with  its  free-hearted  bounties. 
Even  the  shapes  of  apple-trees  have  great  individuality, 
into  such  strange  postures  do  they  put  themselves,  and 
thrust  their  contorted  branches  so  grotesquely  in  all 
directions.  And  when  they  have  stood  around  a  house 
for  many  years,  and  held  converse  with  successive 
dynasties  of  occupants,  and  gladdened  their  hearts  so 
often  in  the  fruitful  autumn,  then  it  would  seem  almost 
sacrilege  to  cut  them  down. 

Besides  the  apple-trees,  there  are  various  other  kinds 
of  fruit  in  close  vicinity  to  the  house.  When  we  first 
arrived,  there  were  several  trees  of  ripe  cherries,  but  so 
sour  that  we  allowed  them  to  wither  upon  the  branches. 

VOL.   II.  4 


74  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [lS-12 

Two  long  rows  of  currant-bushes  supplied  us  abundant 
ly  for  nearly  four  weeks.  There  are  a  good  many 
pea.'h-trees,  but  all  of  an  old  date,  —  their  branches 
rotten,  gummy,  and  mossy,  —  and  their  fruit,  I  fear,  will 
be  of  very  inferior  quality.  They  produce  most  abun 
dantly,  however,  —  the  peaches  being  almost  as  numer 
ous  as  the  leaves ;  and  even  the  sprouts  and  suckers 
from  the  roots  of .  the  old  trees  have  fruit  upon  them. 
Then  there  are  pear-trees  of  various  kinds,  and  one  or 
two  quince-trees.  On  the  whole,  these  fruit-trees,  and 
the  other  items  and  adjuncts  of  the  place,  convey  a  very 
agreeable  idea  of  the  outward  comfort  in  which  the  good 
old  Doctor  must  have  spent  his  life.  Everything  seems 
to  have  fallen  to  his  lot  that  could  possibly  be  supposed 
to  render  the  life  of  a  country  clergyman  easy  and  pros 
perous.  There  is  a  barn,  which  probably  used  to  be 
filled  annually  with  his  hay  and  other  agricultural  prod 
ucts.  There  are  sheds,  and  a  hen-house,  and  a  pigeon- 
house,  and  an  old  stone  pig-sty,  the  open  portion  of 
which  is  overgrown  with  tall  weeds,  indicating  that  no 

grunter  has  recently  occupied  it I  have  serious 

thoughts  of  inducting  a  new  incumbent  in  this  part  of 
the  parsonage.  It  is  our  duty  to  support  a  pig,  even  if 
we  have  no  design  of  feasting  upon  him  ;  and,  for  my 
own  part,  I  have  a  great  sympathy  and  interest  for  the 
whole  race  of  porkers,  and  should  have  much  amuse 
ment  in  studying  the  character  of  a  pig.  Perhaps  I 
might  try  to  bring  out  his  moral  and  intellectual  nature, 
and  cultivate  his  affections.  A  cat,  too,  and  perhaps  a 
dog,  would  be  desirable  additions  to  our  household. 

August  10M.  — The  natural  taste    of  man   for   the 


1S42.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS  75 

original  Adam's  occupation  is  fast  developing  itself  in 
me.  I  find  that  I  am  a  good  deal  interested  in  our 
garden,  although,  as  it  was  planted  before  we  came 
here,  1  do  not  feel  the  same  affection  for  the  plants  that 
I  should  if  the  seed  had  been  sown  by  my  own  hands. 
It  is  something  like  nursing  and  educating  another  per 
son's  children.  Still,  it  was  a  very  pleasant  moment 
when  I  gathered  the  first  string-beans,  which  were  the 
earliest  esculent  that  the  garden  contributed  to  our 
table.  And  I  love  to  watch  the  successive  development 
of  each  new  vegetable,  and  mark  its  daily  growth,  which 
always  affects  me  with  surprise.  It  is  as  if  something 
were  being  created  under  my  own  inspection,  and  partly 
by  my  own  aid.  One  day,  perchance,  I  look  at  my 
bean- vines,  and  see  only  the  green  leaves  clambering  up 
the  poles;  again,  to-morrow,  I  give  a  second  glance, 
and  there  are  the  delicate  blossoms ;  and  a  third  day, 
on  a  somewhat  closer  observation,  I  discover  the  tender 
young  beans,  hiding  among  the  foliage.  Then,  each 
morning,  I  watch  the  swelling  of  the  pods,  and  calculate 
how  soon  they  will  be  ready  to  yield  their  treasures. 
All  this  gives  a  pleasure  and  an  ideality,  hitherto  un- 
thought  of,  to  the  business  of  providing  sustenance  for 
my  family.  I  suppose  Adam  felt  it  in  Paradise  ;  and,  of 
merely  and  exclusively  earthly  enjoyments,  there  are  few- 
purer  and  more  harmless  to  be  experienced.  Speaking 
of  beans,  by  the  way,  they  are  a  classical  food,  and  their 
culture  must  have  been  the  occupation  of  many  ancient 
sages  and  heroes.  Summer-squashes  are  a  very  pleasant 
vegetable  to  be  acquainted  with.  They  grow  in  the  forms 
of  urns  and  vases,  —  some  shallow,  others  deeper,  and 
all  with  a  beautifully  scalloped  edge  Almost  any 


76  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

squash  in  our  garden  might  be  copied  by  a  sculptor,  and 
would  look  lovely  in  marble,  or  in  china ;  and,  if  I  could 
afford  it,  I  would  have  exact  imitations  of  the  real  veg 
etable  as  portions  of  my  dining-service.  They  would 
be  very  appropriate  dishes  for  holding  garden-vegeta 
bles.  Besides  the  summer-squashes,  we  have  the 
crook-necked  winter-squash,  which  I  always  delight  to 
look  at,  when  it  turns  up  its  big  rotundity  to  ripen  in 
the  autumn  sun.  Except  a  pumpkin,  there  is  no  vege 
table  production  that  imparts  such  an  idea  of  warmth 
and  comfort  to  the  beholder.  Our  own  crop,  however, 
does  not  promise  to  be  very  abundant ;  for  the  leaves 
formed  such  a  superfluous  shade  over  the  young  blos 
soms,  that  most  of  them  dropped  off  without  producing 
the  germ  of  fruit.  Yesterday  and  to-day  I  have  cut  off 
an  immense  number  of  leaves,  and  have  thus  given  the 
remaining  blossoms  a  chance  to  profit  by  the  air  and 
sunshine  ;  but  the  season  is  too  far  advanced,  I  am 
afraid,  for  the  squashes  to  attain  any  great  bulk,  and 
grow  yellow  in  the  sun.  We  have  muskmelons  and 
watermelons,  which  promise  to  supply  us  with  as  many 
as  we  can  eat.  After  all,  the  greatest  interest  of  these 
vegetables  does  not  seem  to  consist  in  their  being 
articles  of  food.  It  is  rather  that  we  love  to  see 
something  born  into  the  world ;  and  when  a  great 
squash  or  melon  is  produced,  it  is  a  large  and  tangible 
existence,  which  the  imagination  can  seize  hold  of  and 
rejoice  in.  I  love,  also,  to  see  my  own  works  contribut 
ing  to  the  life  and  well-being  of  animate  nature.  It  is 
pleasant  to  have  the  bees  come  and  suck  honey  out  of 
my  squash-blossoms,  though,  when  they  have  laden 
themselves,  they  fly  away  to  some  unknown  hive,  which 


J842.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  77 

will  give  me  back  nothing  in  return  for  what  my  garden 
has  given  them.  But  there  is  much  more  honey  in  the 
world,  and  so  I  am  content.  Indian  corn,  in  the  prime 
and  glory  of  its  verdure,  is  a  very  beautiful  vegetable, 
both  considered  in  the  separate  plant,  and  in  a  mass  in 
a  broad  field,  rustling  and  waving,  and  surging  up  and 
down  in  the  breeze  and  sunshine  of  a  summer  afternoon. 
We  have  as  many  as  fifty  hills,  I  should  think,  which 
will  give  us  an  abundant  supply.  Pray  Heaven  that 
we  may  be  able  to  eat  it  all !  for  it  is  not  pleasant  to 
think  that  anything  which  Nature  has  been  at  the  pains 
to  produce  should  be  thrown  away.  But  the  hens  will 
be  glad  of  our  superfluity,  and  so  will  the  pigs,  though 
we  have  neither  hens  nor  pigs  of  our  own.  But  hens 
we  must  certainly  keep.  There  is  something  very  socia 
ble  and  quiet,  and  soothing,  too,  in  their  soliloquies  and 
converse  among  themselves ;  and,  in  an  idle  and  half- 
meditative  mood,  it  is  very  pleasant  to  watch  a  party  of 
hens  picking  up  their  daily  subsistence,  with  a  gallant 
chanticleer  in  the  midst  of  them.  Milton  had  evidently 
contemplated  such  a  picture  with  delight. 

I  find  that  I  have  not  given  a  very  complete  idea  of 
our  garden,  although  it  certainly  deserves  an  ample 
record  in  this  chronicle,  since  my  labors  in  it  are  the 
only  present  labors  *of  my  life.  Besides  what  I  have 
mentioned,  we  have  cucumber-vines,  which  to-day 
yielded  us  the  first  cucumber  of  the  season,  a  bed  of 
beets,  and  another  of  carrots,  and  another  of  parsnips 
and  turnips,  none  of  which  promise  us  a  very  abundant 
harvest.  In  truth,  the  soil  is  worn  out,  and,  moreover, 
received  vary  little  manure  this  season.  Also,  we  have 
cabbages  in  supeifluous  abundance,  inasmuch  as  we 


78  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

neither  of  us  have  liie  least  affection  for  them ;  and  it 
would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  Sarah,  the  cook,  to  eat 
fifty  head  of  cabbages.  Tomatoes,  too,  we  shall  have 
by  and  by.  At  our  first  arrival,  we  found  green  peas 
ready  for  gathering,  and  these,  instead  of  the  string- 
beans,  were  the  first  offering  of  the  garden  to  our 
board. 

Saturday,  August  13th.  —  My  life,  at  this  time,  is 
more  like  that  of  a  boy,  externally,  than  it  has  been 
since  I  was  really  a  boy.  It  is  usually  supposed  that 
the  cares  of  life  come  with  matrimony  ;  but  I  seem 
to  have  cast  off  all  care,  and  live  on  with  as  much 
easy  trust  in  Providence  as  Adam  could  possibly  have 
felt  before  he  had  learned  that  there  was  a  world 
beyond  Paradise.  My  chief  anxiety  consists  in  watch 
ing  the  prosperity  of  my  vegetables,  in  observing  how 
they  are  affected  by  the  rain  or  sunshine,  in  lamenting 
the  blight  of  one  squash  and  rejoicing  at  the  luxurious 
growth  of  another.  It  is  as  if  the  original  relation 
between  man  and  Nature  were  restored  in  my  case, 
and  as  if  I  were  to  look  exclusively  to  her  for  the 
support  of  my  Eve  and  myself,  —  to  trust  to  her  for 
food  and  clothing,  and  all  things  needful,  with  the  full 
assurance  that  she  would  not  fail  me.  The  fight  with 
the  world,  —  the  struggle  of  a  man  among  men,  —  the 
agony  of  the  universal  effort  to  wrench  the  means  of 
living  from  a  host  of  greedy  competitors,  —  all  this 
seems  like  a  dream  to  me.  My  business  is  merely  to 
live  and  to  enjoy ;  and  whatever  is  essential  to  life  arid 
enjoyment  will  come  as  naturally  as  the  dew  from 
heaven.  This  is,  practically  at  least,  my  faith.  And 


tS42.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  7'J 

so  I  awaks  in  the  morning  with  a  boyi.-h  thoughtless 
ness  as  to  how  the  outgoings  of  the  day  are  (o  be 
provided  for,  and  its  incomings  rendered  certain.  After 
breakfast,  I  go  forth  into  my  garden,  and  gather  what 
ever  the  bountiful  Mother  has  made  fit  for  our  present 
sustenance ;  and  of  late  days  she  generally  gives  me 
two  squashes  and  a  cucumber,  and  promises  me  green 
corn  and  shell-beans  very  soon.  Then  I  pass  down 
through  our  orchard  to  the  river-side,  and  ramble  along 
its  margin  in  search  of  flowers.  Usually  I  discern  a 
fragrant  white  lily,  here  and  there  along  the  shore, 
growing,  with  sweet  prudishness,  beyond  the  grasp  of 
mortal  arm.  But  it  does  not  escape  me  so.  I  know 
what  is  its  fitting  destiny  better  than  the  silly  flower 
knows  for  itself;  so  I  wade  in,  heedless  of  wet  trousers-, 
and  seize  the  shy  lily  by  its  slender  stem.  Thus  I 
make  prize  of  five  or  six,  which  are  as  many  as  usually 
blossom  within  my  reach  in  a  single  morning  ;  —  some 
of  them  partially  worm-eaten  or  blighted,  like  virgins 
with  an  eating  sorrow  at  the  heart ;  others  as  fair  and 
perfect  as  Nature's  own  idea  was,  when  she  first 
imagined  this  lovely  flower.  A  perfect  pond-lily  is 
the  most  satisfactory  of  flowers.  Besides  these,  I  gather 
whatever  else  of  beautiful  chances  to  be  growing  in  the 
moist  soil  by  the  river-side,  —  an  amphibious  tribe,  yet 
with  more  richness  and  grace  than  the  wild-flowers  of 
the  deep  and  dry  woodlands  and  hedge-rows,  —  some 
times  the  white  arrow-head,  always  the  blue  spires  and 
broad  green  leaves  of  the  pickerel-flower,  which  con 
trast  and  harmonize  so  well  with  the  white  lilies.  For 
the  last  two  or  three  days,  I  have  found  scattered  stalks 
cf  the  cardinal-flower,  the  gorgeous  scarlet  of  which  it 


80  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  L1842. 

is  a  joy  even  to  remember.  The  world  is  made 
brighter  and  sunnier  by  flowers  of  such  a  hue.  Eveu 
perfume,  which  otherwise  is  the  soul  and  spirit  of  a 
flower,  may  be  spared  when  it  arrays  itself  in  this  scar 
let  glory.  It  is  a  flower  of  thought  and  feeling,  too ; 
it  seems  to  have  its  roots  deep  down  in  the  hearts  of 
those  who  gaze  at  it.  Other  bright  flowers  sometimes 
impress  me  as  wanting  sentiment;  but  it  is  not  so 
with  this. 

Well,  having  made  up  my  bunch  of  flowers,  I  return 

home  with  them Then  I  ascend  to  my  study,  and 

generally  read,  or  perchance  scribble  in  this  journal, 
and  otherwise  suffer  Time  to  loiter  onward  at  his  own 
pleasure,  till  the  dinner-hour.  In  pleasant  days,  the 
ihief  event  of  the  afternoon,  and  the  happiest  one  of 

the  day,  is  our  walk So  comes  the  night ;  and  I 

look  back  upon  a  day  spent  in  what  the  world  would 
call  idleness,  and  for  which  I  myself  can  suggest  no 
more  appropriate  epithet,  but  which,  nevertheless,  I 
cannot  feel  to  have  been  spent  amiss.  True,  it  might 
be  a  sin  and  shame,  in  such  a  world  as  ours,  to  spend 
a  lifetime  in  this  manner  ;  but  for  a  few  summer  weeks 
it  is  good  to  live  as  if  this  world  were  heaven.  And 
so  it  is,  and  so  it  shall  be,  although,  in  a  little  while, 
a  flitting  shadow  of  earthly  care  and  toil  will  mingle 
itself  with  our  realities. 

Monday,  August  15th.  —  George  Hillard  and  his 
wife  arrived  from  Boston  in  the  dusk  of  Saturday  even 
ing,  to  spend  Sunday  with  us.  It  was  a  pleasant  sen 
sation,  when  the  coach  rumbled  up  our  avenue,  and 
wheeled  round  at  the  door;  for  I  felt  that  I  was 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  81 

regarded  as  a  man  with  a  household,  —  a  man  having 
a  tangible  existence  and  locality  in  the  world,  —  when 
friends  came  to  avail  themselves  of  our  hospitality.  It 
was  a  sort  of  acknowledgment  and  reception  of  us  into 
the  corps  of  married  people,  —  a  sanction  by  no  means 
essential  to  our  peace  and  well-being,  but  yet  agreea 
ble  enough  to  receive.  So  we  welcomed  them  cor 
dially  at  the  door,  and  ushered  them  into  our  parlor, 

and  soon  into  the  supper-room The  night  flitted 

over  us  all,  and  passed  away,  and  up  rose  a  gray  and 
sullen  morning,  ....  and  we  had  a  splendid  breakfast 
of  flapjacks,  or  slapjacks,  and  whortleberries,  which  I 
gathered  on  a  neighboring  hill,  and  perch,  bream,  and 
pout,  which  I  hooked  out  of  the  river  the  evening 
before.  About  nine  o'clock,  Hillard  and  I  set  out  for 
a  walk  to  Walden  Pond,  calling  by  the  way  at  Mr. 
Emerson's,  to  obtain  his  guidance  or  directions,  and  he 
accompanied  us  in  his  own  illustrious  person.  We 

turned  aside  a  little  from  our  way,  to  visit  Mr. ,  a 

yeoman,  of  whose  homely  and  self-acquired  wisdom 
Mr.  Emerson  has  a  very  high  opinion.  We  found  him 
walking  in  his  fields,  a  short  and  stalwart  and  sturdy 
personage  of  middle  age,  with  a  face  of  shrewd  and 
kind  expression,  and  manners  of  natural  courtesy.  He 
had  a  very  free  flow  of  talk ;  for,  with  a  little  induction 
from  Mr.  Emerson,  he  began  to  discourse  about  the 
state  of  the  nation,  agriculture,  and  business  in  general, 
uttering  thoughts  that  had  come  to  him  at  the  plough, 
and  which  had  a  sort  of  flavor  of  the  fresh  earth  about 
them.  His  views  were  sensible  and  characteristic,  and 
had  grown  in  the  soil  where  we  found  them ;  .  .  .  .  and 
be  is  certainly  a  man  of  intellectual  and  moral  sulh 
4*  p 


82  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

stance,  a  sturdy  fact,  a  reality,  something  to  be  felt 
and  touched,  whose  ideas  seem  to  be  dug  out  of  his 
mind  as  he  digs  potatoes,  beets,  carrots,  and  turnips  out 
of  the  ground. 

After  leaving  Mr. ,  we  proceeded  through  wood 

paths  to  "VYalden  Pond,  picking  blackberries  of  enor 
mous  size  along  the  way.  The  pond  itself  was  beautiful 
and  refreshing  to  my  soul,  after  such  long  and  exclu 
sive  familiarity  with  our  tawny  and  sluggish  river.  It 
lies  embosomed  among  wooded  hills,  —  it  is  not  very 
extensive,  but  large  enough  for  waves  to  dance  upon 
its  surface,  and  to  look  like  a  piece  of  blue  firmament, 
earth-encircled.  The  shore  has  a  narrow,  pebbly  strand, 
which  it  was  worth  a  day's  journey  to  look  at,  for  the 
sake  of  the  contrast  between  it  and  the  weedy,  oozy 
margin  of  the  river.  Farther  within  its  depths,  you 
perceive  a  bottom  of  pure  white  sand,  sparkling  through 
the  transparent  water,  which,  methought,  was  the  very 
purest  liquid  in  the  world.  After  Mr.  Emerson  left  us, 
Hillard  and  I  bathed  in  the  pond,  and  it  does  really 
seem  as  if  my  spirit,  as  well  as  corporeal  person,  were 
refreshed  by  that  bath.  A  good  deal  of  mud  and  river 
slime  had  accumulated  on  my  soul;  but  these  bright 
waters  washed  them  all  away. 

We  returned  home  in  due  season  for  dinner 

To  my  misfortune,  however,  a  box  of  Mediterranean 
wine  proved  to  have  undergone  the  acetous  fermenta 
tion  ;  so  that  the  splendor  of  the  festival  suffered  some 
liminution.  Nevertheless,  we  ate  our  dinner  with  a 
good  appetite,  and  afterwards  went  universally  to  take 
our  several  siestas.  Meantime  there  came  a  shower, 
which  so  besprinkled  the  grass  and  shrubbery  as  to 


i842.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  83 

make  it  rather  wet  for  our  after-tea  ramble.  The  chief 
result  of  the  walk  was  the  bringing  home  rf  an  immense 
burden  of  the  trailing  clematis-vine,  now  just  in  blos 
som,  and  with  which  all  our  flower-stands  and  vases  are 
this  morning  decorated.  On  our  return  we  found  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  S ,  and  E.  H ,  who  shortly  took  their 

leave,  and  we  sat  up  late,  telling  ghost-stories.  This 
morning,  at  seven,  our  friends  left  us.  We  were  both 
pleased  with  the  visit,  and  so,  I  think,  were  our  guests. 


Monday,  August  22d.  —  I  took  a  walk  through  the 
woods  yesterday  afternoon,  to  Mr.  Emerson's,  with  a 
book  which  Margaret  Fuller  had  left,  after  a  call  on 
Saturday  eve.  I  missed  the  nearest  way,  and  wan 
dered  into  a  very  secluded  portion  of  the  forest ;  for  for 
est  it  might  justly  be  called,  so  dense  and  sombre  was 
the  shade  of  oaks  and  pines.  Once  I  wandered  into  a 
tract  so  overgrown  with  bushes  and  underbrush  that  I 
could  scarcely  force  a  passage  through.  Nothing  is 
more  annoying  than  a  walk  of  this  kind,  where  one  is 
tormented  by  an  innumerable  host  of  petty  impediments. 
It  incenses  and  depresses  me  at  the  same  time.  Always 
when  I  flounder  into  the  midst  of  bushes,  which  cross 
and  intertwine  themselves  about  my  legs,  and  brush  my 
face,  and  seize  hold  of  my  clothes,  with  their  multitudi 
nous  grip,  —  always,  in  such  a  difficulty,  I  feel  as  if  it 
were  almost  as  well  to  lie  down  and  die  in  rage  and  de 
spair  as  to  go  one  step  farther.  It  is  laughable,  after  I 
have  got  out  of  the  moil,  to  think  how  miserably  it 
affected  me  for  the  moment ;  but  I  had  better  learn 
patience  betimes,  for  there  are  many  such  bushy  tracts 


84  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

in  this  vicinity,  on  the  margins  of  meadows,  and  my 
walks  will  often  lead  me  into  them.  Escaping  from  the 
bushes,  I  soon  came  to  an  open  space  among  the  woods, 

a  very  lovely  spot,  with  the  tall  old  trees  standing 

around  as  quietly  as  if  no  one  had  intruded  there 
throughout  the  whole  summer.  A  company  of  crows 
were  holding  their  Sabbath  on  their  summits.  Appar 
ently  they  felt  themselves  injured  or  insulted  by  my 
presence ;  for,  with  one  consent,  they  began  to  Caw ! 
caw  !  caw  !  and,  launching  themselves  sullenly  on  the 
air,  took  flight  to  some  securer  solitude.  Mine,  proba 
bly,  was  the  first  human  shape  that  they  had  seen  all 
day  long,  —  at  least,  if  they  had  been  stationary  in  that 
spot;  but  perhaps  they  had  winged  their  way  over 
miles  and  miles  of  country,  had  breakfasted  on  the 
summit  of  Greylock,  and  dined  at  the  base  of  TVachu- 
sett,  and  were  merely  come  to  sup  and  sleep  among  the 
quiet  woods  of  Concord.  But  it  was  my  impression  at 
the  time,  that  they  had  sat  still  and  silent  on  the  tops 
of  the  trees  all  through  the  Sabbath  day,  and  I  felt 
like  one  who  should  unawares  disturb  an  assembly  of 
worshippers.  A  crow,  however,  has  no  real  pretensions 
to  religion,  in  spite  of  his  gravity  of  mien  and  black 
attire.  Crows  are  certainly  thieves,  and  probably 
infidels.  Nevertheless,  their  voices  yesterday  were  in 
admirable  accordance  with  the  influences  of  the  quiet, 
sunny,  warm,  yet  autumnal  afternoon.  They  were  so 
far  above  my  head  that  their  loud  clamor  added  to  the 
quiet  of  the  scene,  instead  of  disturbing  it.  There  was 
no  other  soun  I,  except  the  song  of  the  cricket,  which  is 
but  an  audible  stillness ;  for,  though  it  be  very  loud  and 
heard  afar,  yet  the  mind  does  not  take  note  of  it  as  a 


184!c5.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  85 

sound,  so  entirely  does  it  mingle  and  lose  its  individual 
ity  among  the  other  characteristics  of  coming  autumn. 
Alas  for  the  summer !  The  grass  is  still  verdant  on  the 
hills  and  in  the  valleys ;  the  foliage  of  the  trees  is  aa 
dense  as  ever,  and  as  green ;  the  flowers  are  abundant 
along  the  margin  of  the  river,  and  in  the  hedge-rows, 
and  deep  among  the  woods ;  the  days,  too,  are  as  fervid 
as  they  were  a  month  ago ;  and  yet  in  every  breath  of 
wind  and  in  every  beam  of  sunshine  there  is  an  au 
tumnal  influence.  I  know  not  how  to  describe  it.  Me- 
thinks  there  is  a  sort  of  coolness  amid  all  the  heat,  and 
a  mildness  in  the  brightest  of  the  sunshine.  A  breeze 
cannot  stir,  without  thrilling  me  with  the  breath  of  au 
tumn,  and  I  behold  its  pensive  glory  in  the  far,  golden 
gleams  among  the  long  shadows  of  the  trees.  The  flow 
ers,  even  the  brightest  of  them,  —  the  golden-rod  and 
the  gorgeous  cardinals,  —  the  most  glorious  flowers  of 
the  year,  —  have  this  gentle  sadness  amid  their  pomp. 
Pensive  autumn  is  expressed  in  the  glow  of  every  one 
of  them.  I  have  felt  this  influence  earlier  in  some  years 
than  in  others.  Sometimes  autumn  may  be  perceived 
even  in  the  early  days  of  July.  There  is  no  other  feel 
ing  like  that  caused  by  this  faint,  doubtful,  yet  real  per 
ception,  or  rather  prophecy,  of  the  year's  decay,  so  de- 
liciously  sweet  and  sad  at  the  same  time. 

After  leaving  the  book  at  Mr.  Emerson's  I  returned 
through  the  woods,  and,  entering  Sleepy  Hollow,  I  per 
ceived  a  lady  reclining  near  the  path  which  bends  along 
its  verge.  It  was  Margaret  herself.  She  had  been 
there  the  whole  afternoon,  meditating  or  reading;  for 
ehe  had  a  book  in  her  hand,  with  some  strange  title, 
which  I  did  not  understand,  and  have  forgotten.  Sho 


86  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

said  that  nobody  had  broken  her  solitude,  and  was  just 
giving  utterance  to  a  theory  that  no  inhabitant  of  Con 
cord  ever  visited  Sleepy  Hollow,  when  we  saw  a  group 
of  people  entering  the  sacred  precincts.  Most  of  them 
followed  a  path  which  led  them  away  from  us;  but  an  old 
man  passed  near  us,  and  smiled  to  see  Margaret  re 
clining  on  the  ground,  and  me  sitting  by  her  side.  He 
made  some  remark  about  the  beauty  of  the  afternoon, 
and  withdrew  himself  into  the  shadow  of  the  wood. 
Then  we  talked  about  autumn,  and  about  the  pleasures 
of  being  lost  in  the  woods,  and  about  the  crows,  whose 
voices  Margaret  had  heard ;  and  about  the  experiences 
of  early  childhood,  whose  influence  remains  upon  the 
character  after  the  recollection  of  them  has  passed  away  ; 
and  about  the  sight  of  mountains  from  a  distance,  and 
the  view  from  their  summits ;  and  about  other  matters 
of  high  and  low  philosophy.  In  the  midst  of  our  talk, 
we  heard  footsteps  above  us,  on  the  high  bank ;  and 
while  the  person  was  still  hidden  among  the  trees,  he 
called  to  Margaret,  of  whom  he  had  gotten  a  glimpse. 
Then  he  emerged  from  the  green  shade,  and,  behold  !  it 
was  Mr.  Emerson.  He  appeared  to  have  had  a  pleasant 
lime ;  for  he  said  that  there  were  Muses  in  the  woods 
to-day,  and  whispers  to  be  heard  in  the  breezes.  It 
being  now  nearly  six  o'clock,  we  separated,  —  Margaret 
and  Mr.  Emerson  towards  his  home,  and  I  towards 

mine 

Last  evening  there  was  the  most  beautiful  moonlight 
that  ever  hallowed  this  earthly  world ;  and  when  I  went 
to  bathe  in  the  river,  which  was  as  calm  as  death,  it 
seemed  like  plunging  down  into  the  sky.  But  I  had 
rather  be  on  earth  than  even  in  the  seventh  heaven,  just 
now. 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  87 

Wednesday,  August  24th.  —  I  left  home  at  five  o'clock 
this  morning  to  catch  some  fish  for  breakfast.  I  shook 
our  summer  apple-tree,  and  ate  the  golden  apple  which 
fell  from  it.  Methinks  these  early  apples,  which  come 
as  a  golden  promise  before  the  treasures  of  autumnal 
fruit,  are  almost  more  delicious  than  anything  that  comes 
afterwards.  We  have  but  one  such  tree  in  our  orchard  ; 
but  it  supplies  us  with  a  daily  abundance,  and  probably 
will  do  so  for  at  least  a  week  to  come.  Meantime  oth 
er  trees  begin  to  cast  their  ripening  windfalls  upon  the 
grass ;  and  when  I  taste  them,  and  perceive  their 
mellowed  flavor  and  blackening  seeds,  I  feel  somewhat 
overwhelmed  with  the  impending  bounties  of  Provi 
dence.  I  suppose  Adam,  in  Paradise,  did  not  like  to 
see  his  fruits  decaying  on  the  ground,  after  he  had 
watched  them  through  the  sunny  days  of  the  world's 
first  summer.  However,  insects,  at  the  worst,  will  hold 
a  festival  upon  them,  so  that  they  will  not  be  thrown 
away,  in  the  great  scheme  of  Nature.  Moreover,  I 
have  one  advantage  over  the  primeval  Adam,  inasmuch 
as  there  is  a  chance  of  disposing  of  my  superfluous 
fruits  among  people  who  inhabit  no  Paradise  of  their 
own. 

Passing  a  little  way  down  along  the  river-side,  I 
threw  in  my  line,  and  soon  drew  out  one  of  the  smallest 
possible  of  fishes.  It  seemed  to  be  a  pretty  good  morn 
ing  for  the  angler,  —  an  autumnal  coolness  in  the  air,  a 
clear  sky,  but  with  a  fog  across  the  lowlands  and  on  the 
surface  of  the  river,  which  a  gentle  breeze  sometimes 
condensed  into  wreaths.  At  first  I  could  barely  discern 
the  opposite  shore  of  the  river ;  but,  as  the  sun  arose, 
the  vapors  gradually  dispersed,  till  only  a  warm,  smoky 


88  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

tint  was  left  along  the  water's  surface.  The  farm-housea 
across  the  river  made  their  appearance  out  of  the  dusky 
cloud ;  the  voices  of  boys  were  heard,  shouting  to  the 
cattle  as  they  drove  them  to  the  pastures ;  a  man  whet 
ted  his  scythe,  and  set  to  work  in  a  neighboring  mead 
ow.  Meantime,  I  continued  to  stand  on  the  oozy  mar 
gin  of  the  stream,  beguiling  the  little  fish ;  and  though 
the  scaly  inhabitants  of  our  river  partake  somewhat  of 
the  character  of  their  native  element,  and  are  but 
sluggish  biters,  still  I  contrived  to  pull  out  not  far  from 
two  dozen.  They  were  all  bream,  a  broad,  flat,  almost 
circular  fish,  shaped  a  good  deal  like  a  flounder,  but 
swimming  on  their  edges,  instead  of  on  their  sides.  As 
far  as  mere  pleasure  is  concerned,  it  is  hardly  worth 
while  to  fish  in  our  river,  it  is  so  much  like  angling  in  a 
mud-puddle ;  and  one  does  not  attach  the  idea  of  fresh 
ness  and  purity  to  the  fishes,  as  we  do  to  those  which 
inhabit  swift,  transparent  streams,  or  haunt  the  shores 
of  the  great  briny  deep.  Standing  on  the  weedy  mar 
gin,  and  throwing  the  line  over  the  elder-bushes  that 
dip  into  the  water,  it  seems  as  if  we  could  catch  nothing 
but  frogs  and  mud-turtles,  or  reptiles  akin  to  them. 
And  even  when  a  fish  of  reputable  aspect  is  drawn  out, 
one  feels  a  shyness  about  touching  him.  As  to  our 
river,  its  character  was  admirably  expressed  last  night 
by  some  one  who  said  "  it  was  too  lazy  to  keep  itself 
clean."  I  might  write  pages  and  pages,  and  only  ob 
scure  the  impression  which  this  brief  sentence  conveys. 
Nevertheless,  we  made  bold  to  eat  some  of  my  fish  for 
breakfast,  and  found  them  very  savory  ;  and  the  rest 
shall  meet  with  due  entertainment  at  dinner,  together 
with  some  shell-beans,  green  corn,  and  cucumbers  from 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  89 

our  garden ;  so  this  day's  food  comes  directly  and  en* 
tirely  from  beneficent  Nature,  without  the  intervention 
of  any  third  person  between  her  and  us. 

Saturday,  August  27th.  — A  peach-tree,  which  grows 
beside  oui  house  and  brushes  against  the  window,  is  so 
burdened  with  fruit  that  I  have  had  to  prop  it  up.  I 
never  saw  more  splendid  peaches  in  appearance, — 
great,  round,  crimson-cheeked  beauties,  clustering  all 
over  the  tree.  A  pear-tree,  likewise,  is  maturing  a  gen 
erous  burden  of  small,  sweet  fruit,  which  will  require  to 
be  eaten  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  peaches.  There 
is  something  pleasantly  annoying  in  this  superfluous 
abundance  ;  it  is  like  standing  under  a  tree  of  ripe 
apples,  and  giving  it  a  shake,  with  the  intention  of 
bringing  down  a  single  one,  when,  behold,  a  dozen  come 
thumping  about  our  ears.  But  the  idea  of  the  infinite 
generosity  and  exhaustless  bounty  of  our  Mother  Na 
ture  is  well  worth  attaining;  and  I  never  had  it  so 
vividly  as  now,  when  I  find  myself,  with  the  few  mouths 
which  I  am  to  feed,  the  sole  inheritor  of  the  old  clergy 
man's  wealth  of  fruits.  His  children,  his  friends  in  the 
village,  and  the  clerical  guests  who  came  to  preach  in 
his  pulpit,  were  all  wont  to  eat  and  be  filled  from  these 
trees.  Now,  all  these  hearty  old  people  have  passed 
away,  and  in  their  stead  is  a  solitary  pair,  whose  appe 
tites  are  more  than  satisfied  with  the  windfalls  which 
the  trees  throw  down  at  their  feet.  Howbeit,  we  shall 
have  now  and  then  a  guest  to  keep  our  peaches  and 
pears  from  decaying. 

G.  B ,  my  old  fellow-laborer  at  the  commu 
nity  at  Brook  Farm,  called  on  me  last  evening,  and 


90  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

dined  here  to-day.  He  has  been  cultivating  vegetables 
at  Plymouth  this  summer,  and  selling  them  in  the  mar 
ket.  What  a  singular  mode  of  life  for  a  man  of  educa 
tion  and  refinement,  —  to  spend  his  days  in  hard  and 
earnest  bodily  toil,  and  then  to  convey  the  products  of 
his  labor,  in  a  wheelbarrow,  to  the  public  market,  and 
there  retail  them  out,  —  a  peck  of  peas  or  beans,  a  bunch 
of  turnips,  a  squash,  a  dozen  ears  of  green  corn  !  Few 
men,  without  some  eccentricity  of  character,  would  have 
the  moral  strength  to  do  this ;  and  it  is  very  striking  to 
find  such  strength  combined  with  the  utmost  gentleness, 
and  an  uncommon  regularity  of  nature.  Occasionally 
he  returns  for  a  day  or  two  to  resume  his  place  among 
scholars  and  idle  people,  as,  for  instance,  the  present 
week,  when  he  has  thrown  aside  his  spade  and  hoe  to 
attend  the  Commencement  at  Cambridge.  He  is  a  rare 
man,  —  a  perfect  original,  yet  without  any  one  salient 
point ;  a  character  to  be  felt  and  understood,  but  almost 
impossible  to  describe :  for,  should  you  seize  upon  any 
characteristic,  it  would  inevitably  be  altered  and  dis 
torted  in  the  process  of  writing  it  down. 

Our  few  remaining  days  of  summer  have  been  latterly 
grievously  darkened  with  clouds.  To-day  there  has 
been  an  hour  or  two  of  hot  sunshine  ;  but  the  sun  rose 
amid  cloud  and  mist,  and  before  he  could  dry  up  the 
moisture  of  last  night's  shower  upon  the  trees  and  grass, 
the  clouds  have  gathered  between  him  and  us  again. 
This  afternoon  the  thunder  rumbles  in  the  distance,  and 
I  believe  a  few  drops  of  rain  have  fallen  ;  but  the 
weight  of  the  shower  has  burst  elsewhere,  leaving  us 
nothing  but  its  sullen  gloom.  There  is  a  muggy  warmth 
in  the  atmosphere,  which  takes  all  the  spring  and  vi* 
vacity  out  of  the  mind  and  body. 


1842.  J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  91 

Sunday,  August  28th.  —  Still  another  rainy  day,  — • 
the  heaviest  rain,  I  believe,  that  has  fallen  since  we 
came  to  Concord  (not  two  months  ago).  There  never 
was  a  more  sombre  aspect  of  all  external  nature.  I 
gaze  from  the  open  window  of  my  study  somewhat  dis 
consolately,  and  observe  the  great  willow-tree  which 
shades  the  house,  and  which  has  caught  and  retained  a 
whole  cataract  of  rain  among  its  leaves  and  boughs ; 
and  all  the  fruit-trees,  too,  are  dripping  continually, 
even  in  the  brief  intervals  when  the  clouds  give  us  a 
respite.  If  shaken  to  bring  down  the  fruit,  they  will 
discharge  a  shower  upon  the  head  of  him  who  stands 
beneath.  The  rain  is  warm,  coming  from  some  southern 
region ;  but  the  willow  attests  that  it  is  an  autumnal 
spell  of  weather,  by  scattering  down  no  infrequent  mul 
titude  of  yellow  leaves,  which  rest  upon  the  sloping  roof 
of  the  house,  and  strew  the  gravel-path  and  the  grass. 
The  other  trees  do  not  yet  shed  their  leaves,  though  in 
some  of  them  a  lighter  tint  of  verdure,  tending  towards 
yellow,  is  perceptible.  All  day  long  we  hear  the  water 
drip,  drip,  dripping,  splash,  splash,  splashing,  from  the 
eaves,  and  babbling  and  foaming  into  the  tubs  which 
have  been  set  out  to  receive  it.  The  old  unpainted 
shingles  and  boards  of  the  mansion  and  out-houses 
are  black  with  the  moisture  which  they  have  imbibed. 
Looking  at  the  river,  we  perceive  that  its  usually  smooth 
and  mirrored  surface  is  blurred  by  the  infinity  of  rain 
drops;  the  whole  landscape  —  grass,  trees,  and  houses 
—  has  a  completely  water-soaked  aspect,  as  if  the  earth 
were  wet  through.  The  wooded  hill,  about  a  mile  dis 
tant,  whither  we  went  to  gather  whortleberries,  has  a 
mist  upon  its  summit,  as  if  the  demon  of  the  rain  were 


92  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

enthroned  there  ;  and  if  we  look  to  the  sky,  it  seems  as 
if  all  the  water  that  had  been  poured  down  upon  us 
were  as  nothing  to  what  is  to  come.  Once  in  a  while, 
indeed,  there  is  a  gleam  of  sky  along  the  horizon,  or  a 
half- cheerful,  half-sullen  lighting  up  of  the  atmosphere  ; 
the  rain-drops  cease  to  patter  down,  except  when  the 
trees  shake  off  a  gentle  shower;  but  soon  we  hear  the 
broad,  quiet,  slow,  and  sure  recommencement  of  the 
rain.  The  river,  if  I  mistake  not,  has  risen  considera 
bly  during  the  day,  and  its  current  will  acquire  some 
degree  of  energy. 

In  this  sombre  weather,  when  some  mortals  almost 
forget  that  there  ever  was  any  golden  sunshine,  or  ever 
will  be  any  hereafter,  others  seem  absolutely  to  radiate 
it  from  their  own  hearts  and  minds.  The  gloom  cannot 
pervade  them ;  they  conquer  it,  and  drive  it  quite  out 
of  their  sphere,  and  create  a  moral  rainbow  of  hope  upon 
the  blackest  cloud.  As  for  myself,  I  am  little  other 
than  a  cloud  at  such  seasons,  but  such  persons  contrive 
to  make  me  a  sunny  one,  shining  all  through  me.  And 
thus,  even  without  the  support  of  a  stated  occupaticn,  I 
eurvive  these  sullen  days  and  am  happy. 

This  morning  we  read  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
In  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  the  rain  abated  for  a 
season,  and  I  went  out  and  gathered  some  corn  and 
summer-squashes,  and  picked  up  the  windfalls  of  apples 
and  pears  and  peaches.  Wet,  wet,  wet,  —  everything 
was  wet ;  the  blades  of  the  corn-stalks  moistened  me ; 
the  wet  grass  soaked  my  boots  quite  through  ;  the  trees 
threw  their  reserved  showers  upon  my  head  ;  and  soon 
the  remorseless  rain  began  anew,  and  drove  me  into  th*3- 
bouse.  When  shall  we  be  able  to  walk  again  to  the  far 


1842.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  93 

hills,  and  plunge  into  the  deep  woods,  and  gather  more 
cardinals  along  the  river's  margin  ?  The  track  along 
which  we  trod  is  probably  under  water  now.  How  in 
hospitable  Nature  is  during  a  rain  !  In  the  fervid  heat 
of  sunny  days,  she  still  retains  some  degree  of  mercy 
for  us ;  she  has  shady  spots,  whither  the  sun  cannot 
come ;  but  she  provides  no  shelter  against  her  storms. 
It  makes  one  shiver  to  think  how  dripping  with  wet  are 
those  deep,  umbrageous  nooks,  those  overshadowed 
banks,  where  we  find  such  enjoyment  during  sultry  af 
ternoons.  And  what  becomes  of  the  birds  in  such  a 
soaking  rain  as  this  ?  Is  hope  and  an  instinctive  faith 
so  mixed  up  with  their  nature  that  they  can  be  cheered 
by  the  thought  that  the  sunshine  will  return  ?  or  do  they 
think,  as  I  almost  do,  that  there  is  to  be  no  sunshine 
any  more  ?  Very  disconsolate  must  they  be  among  the 
dripping  leaves ;  and  when  a  single  summer  makes  so 
important  a  portion  of  their  lives,  it  seems  hard  that  so 
much  of  it  should  be  dissolved  in  rain.  I,  likewise,  am 
greedy  of  the  summer  days  for  my  own  sake ;  the  life 
of  man  does  not  contain  so  many  of  them  that  one  can 
be  spared  without  regret. 

Tuesday,  August  30th.  —  I  was  promised,  in  the 
midst  of  Sunday's  rain,  that  Monday  should  be  fair, 
and,  behold !  the  sun  came  back  to  us,  and  brought  one 
of  the  most  perfect  days  ever  made  since  Adam  was 
driven  out  of  Paradise.  By  the  by,  was  there  ever  any 
rain  in  Paradise  ?  If  so,  how  comfortless  must  Eve's 
bower  have  been!  and  what  a  wretched  and  rheumatic 
time  must  they  have  had  on  their  bed  of  wet  roses  !  It 
makes  me  shiver  to  think  of  it.  Well,  it  seemed  as  if 


91  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

the  world  was  newly  created  yesterday  morning,  anil  I 
beheld  its  birth  ;  for  I  had  risen  before  the  sun  was 
over  the  hill,  and  had  gone  forth  to  fish.  How  instan 
taneously  did  all  dreariness  and  heaviness  of  the  earth's 
spirit  flit  away  before  one  smile  of  the  beneficent  sun  ! 
This  proves  that  all  gloom  is  but  a  dream  and  a  shadow, 
and  that  cheerfulness  is  the  real  truth.  It  requires 
many  clouds,  long  brooding  over  us,  to  make  us  sad, 
but  one  gleam  of  sunshine  always  suffices  to  cheer  up 
the  landscape.  The  banks  of  the  river  actually  laughed 
when  the  sunshine  fell  upon  them  ;  and  the  river  itself 
was  alive  and  cheerful,  and,  by  way  of  fun  and  amuse 
ment,  it  had  swept  away  many  wreaths  of  meadow-hay, 
and  old,  rotten  branches  of  trees,  and  all  such  trumpery. 
These  matters  came  floating  downwards,  whirling  round 
and  round  in  the  eddies,  or  hastening  onward  in  the 
main  current ;  and  many  of  them,  before  this  time,  have 
probably  been  carried  into  the  Merrimack,  and  will  be 
borne  onward  to  the  sea.  The  spots  where  I  stood  to 
fish,  on  my  preceding  excursion,  were  now  under  water ; 
and  the  tops  of  many  of  the  bushes,  along  the  river's 
margin,  barely  emerged  from  the  stream.  Large  spaces 
of  meadow  are  overflowed. 

There  was  a  northwest  wind  throughout  the  day ; 
and  as  many  clouds,  the  remnants  of  departed  gloom, 
were  scattered  about  the  sky,  the  breeze  was  continu 
ally  blowing  them  across  the  sun.  For  the  most  part, 
they  were  gone  again  in  a  moment ;  but  sometimes  the 
shadow  remained  long  enough  to  make  me  dread  a  re 
turn  of  sulky  weather.  Then  would  come  the  burst  of 
sunshine,  making  me  feel  as  if  a  rainy  day  were  hence- 
ft  -th  an  impossibility 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  95 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Emerson  called,  bringing  Mr. 

> .  He  is  a  good  sort  of  humdrum  parson  enough, 

and  well  fitted  to  increase  the  stock  of  manuscript  ser 
mons,  of  which  there  must  be  a  fearful  quantity  already 

in  the  world.  Mr. ,  however,  is  probably  one  of 

the  best  and  most  useful  of  his  class,  because  no  suspicion 
of  the  necessity  of  his  profession,  constituted  as  it  now 
is,  to  mankind,  and  of  his  own  usefulness  and  success  in 
it,  has  hitherto  disturbed  him ;  and  therefore  he  laborc 
with  faith  and  confidence,  as  ministers  did  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

After  the  visitors  were  gone,  I  sat  at  the  gallery  win 
dow,  looking  down  the  avenue  ;  and  soon  there  appeared 
an  elderly  woman,  —  a  homely,  decent  old  matron, 
dressed  in  a  dark  gown,  and  with  what  seemed  a  manu 
script  book  under  her  arm.  The  wind  sported  with  her 
gown,  and  blew  her  veil  across  her  face,  and  seemed  to 
make  game  of  her,  though  on  a  nearer  view  she  looked 
like  a  sad  old  creature,  with  a  pale,  thin  countenance, 
and  somewhat  of  a  wild  and  wandering  expression.  She 
had  a  singular  gait,  reeling,  as  it  were,  and  yet  not  quite 
reeling,  from  one  side  of  the  path  to  the  other ;  going 
onward  as  if  it  were  not  much  matter  whether  she  went 
straight  or  crooked.  Such  were  my  observations  as  she 
approached  through  the  scattered  sunshine  and  shade  ot 
our  long  avenue,  until,  reaching  the  door,  she  gave  a 
knock,  and  inquired  for  the  lady  of  the  house.  Her 
manuscript  contained  a  certificate,  stating  that  the  old 
woman  was  a  widow  from  a  foreign  land,  who  had  re 
cently  lost  her  son,  and  was  now  utterly  destitute  of 
friends  and  kindred,  and  without  means  of  support. 
Appended  to  the  certificate  there  was  a  list  of  names  of 


96  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

people  who  had  bestowed  charity  on  her,  with  the 
amounts  of  their  several  donations,  —  none,  as  I  recol 
lect,  higher  than  twenty-five  cents.  Here  is  a  strange 
life,  and  a  character  fit  for  romance  and  poetry.  All 
the  early  part  of  her  life,  I  suppose,  and  much  of  her 
widowhood,  were  spent  in  the  quiet  of  a  home,  with 
kinsfolk  around  her,  and  children,  and  the  life-long  gos 
siping  acquaintances  that  some  women  always  create 
about  them.  But  in  her  decline  she  has  wandered  away 
from  all  these,  and  from  her  native  country  itself,  and 
is  a  vagrant,  yet  with  something  of  the  homeliness  and 
decency  of  aspect  belonging  to  one  who  has  been  a  wife 
and  mother,  and  has  had  a  roof  of  her  own  above  her 
head,  —  and,  with  all  this,  a  wildness  proper  to  her  pres 
ent  life.  I  have  a  liking  for  vagrants  of  all  sorts,  and 
never,  that  I  know  of,  refused  my  mite  to  a  wandering 
beggar,  when  I  had  anything  in  my  own  pocket.  There 
is  so  much  wretchedness  in  the  world,  that  we  may  safe 
ly  take  the  word  of  any  mortal  professing  to  need  our 
assistance ;  and,  even  should  we  be  deceived,  still  the 
good  to  ourselves  resulting  from  a  kind  act  is  worth  more 
than  the  trifle  by  which  we  purchase  it.  It  is  desirable, 
I  think,  that  such  persons  should  be  permitted  to  roam 
through  our  land  of  plenty,  scattering  the  seeds  of  ten 
derness  and  charity,  as  birds  of  passage  bear  the  seeds 
of  precious  plants  from  land  to  land,  without  even  dream 
ing  of  the  office  which  they  perform. 

Thursday,    September    1st.  —  Mr.    Thoreau     dined 

with    us   yesterday He  is  a  keen  and  delicate 

observer    of    nature,  —  a   genuine    observer,  —  which, 
I  suspect,  is  almost  as  rare  a  character  as  even  an  origi- 


1842.  j  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  97 

nal  poet ;  and  Nature,  in  return  for  his  love,  seems  to 
adopt  him  as  her  especial  child,  and  shows  him  secrets 
which  few  others  are  allowed  to  witness.  He  is  familiar 
\vith  beast,  fish,  fowl,  and  reptile,  and  has  strange  stories 
to  tell  of  adventures  and  friendly  passages  with  these 
lower  brethren  of  mortality.  Herb  and  flower,  likewise, 
wherever  they  grow,  whether  in  garden  or  wildwood, 
are  his  familiar  friends.  He  is  also  on  intimate  terms 
with  the  clouds,  and  can  tell  the  portents  of  storms.  It 
is  a  characteristic  trait,  that  he  has  a  great  regard  for 
the  memory  of  the  Indian  tribes,  whose  wild  life  would 
have  suited  him  so  well ;  and,  strange  to  say,  he  seldom 
walks  over  a  ploughed  field  without  picking  up  an  ar 
row-point,  spear-head,  or  other  relic  of  the  red  man,  as 
if  their  spirits  willed  him  to  be  the  inheritor  of  their 
simple  wealth. 

With  all  this  he  has  more  than  a  tincture  of  literature, 
—  a  deep  and  true  taste  for  poetry,  especially  for  the 
elder  poets,  and  he  is  a  good  writer,  —  at  least  he  has 
written  a  good  article,  a  rambling  disquisition  on  Natural 
History,  ID  the  last  Dial,  which,  he  says,  was  chiefly 
made  up  from  journals  of  his  own  observations.  Me- 
thinks  this  article  gives  a  very  fair  image  of  his  mind 
and  character,  —  so  true,  innate,  and  literal  in  observa 
tion,  yet  giving  the  spirit  as  well  as  letter  of  what  he 
sees,  even  as  a  lake  reflects  its  wooded  banks,  showing 
every  leaf,  yet  giving  the  wild  beauty  of  the  whole 
scene.  Then  there  are  in  the  article  passages  of  cloudy 
and  dreamy  metaphysics,  and  also  passages  where  his 
thoughts  seem  to  measure  and  attune  themselves  into 
spontaneous  verse,  as  they  rightfully  may,  since  there  ia 
_<ial  poetry  in  them.  There  is  a  basis  of  good  sense 

VOL.    II.  5  G 


98  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

and  ot  moral  truth,  too,  throughout  the  article,  which 
abo  is  a  reflection  of  his  character  ;  for  he  is  not  unwise 
to  think  and  feel,  and  I  find  him  a  healthy  and  whole 
some  man  to  know. 

After  dinner  (at  which  we  cut  the  first  watermelon 
and  muskmelon  that  our  garden  has  grown),  Mr.  Thoreau 
and  I  walked  up  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  at  a  ceitain 
point  he  shouted  for  his  boat.  Forthwith  a  young  man 
paddled  it  across,  and  Mr.  Thoreau  and  I  voyaged  far 
ther  up  the  stream,  which  soon  became  more  beautiful 
than  any  picture,  with  its  dark  and  quiet  sheet  of  water, 
half  shaded,  half  sunny,  between  high  and  wooded  banks. 
The  late  rains  have  swollen  the  stream  so  much  that 
many  trees  are  standing  up  to  their  knees,  as  it  were,  in 
the  water,  and  boughs,  which  lately  swung  high  in  air, 
now  dip  and  drink  deep  of  the  passing  wave.  As  to  the 
poor  cardinals  which  glowed  upon  the  bank  a  few  days 
since,  I  could  see  only  a  few  of  their  scarlet  hats,  peep 
ing  above  the  tide.  Mr.  Thoreau  managed  the  boat  so 
perfectly,  either  with  two  paddles  or  with  one,  that  it 
seemed  instinct  with  his  own  will,  and  to  require  no 
physical  effort  to  guide  it.  He  said  that,  when  some 
Indians  visited  Concord  a  few  years  ago,  he  found  that 
he  had  acquired,  without  a  teacher,  their  precise  method 
of  propelling  and  steering  a  canoe.  Nevertheless  he 
was  desirous  of  selling  the  boat  of  which  he  was  so  fit 
a  pilot,  and  which  was  built  by  his  own  hands  ;  so  I 
agreed  to  take  it,  and  accordingly  became  possessor  of 
the  Musketaquid.  I  wish  I  could  acquire  the  aquatic 
skill  of  the  original  owner. 

September  2d.  —  Yesterday  afternoon   Mr.  Thoreau 


1342.']  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  99 

arrived  with  the  boat.  The  adjacent  meadow  being 
overflowed  by  the  rise  of  the  stream,  he  had  rowed  di 
rectly  to  the  foot  of  the  orchard,  and  landed  at  the  bars, 
after  floating  over  forty  or  fifty  yards  of  water  where 
people  were  lately  making  hay.  I  entered  the  boat 
with  him,  in  order  to  have  the  benefit  of  a  lesson  in  row 
ing  and  paddling I  managed,  indeed,  to  propel 

the  boat  by  rowing  with  two  oars,  but  the  use  of  the 
single  paddle  is  quite  beyond  my  present  skill.  Mr. 
Thoreau  had  assured  me  that  it  was  only  necessary  to 
will  the  boat  to  go  in  any  particular  direction,  and  she 
would  immediately  take  that  course,  as  if  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  steersman.  It  may  be  so  with  him,  but 
it  is  certainly  not  so  with  me.  The  boat  seemed  to  be 
bewitched,  and  turned  its  head  to  every  point  of  the 
compass  except  the  right  one.  He  then  took  the  paddle 
himself,  and,  though  I  could  observe  nothing  peculiar  in 
his  management  of  it,  the  Musketaquid  immediately  be 
came  as  docile  as  a  trained  steed.  I  suspect  that  she 
has  not  yet  transferred  her  affections  from  her  old  mas 
ter  to  her  new  one.  By  and  by,  when  we  are  better 

acquainted,  she  will  grow  more    tractable We 

propose  to  change  her  name  from  Musketaquid  (the  In 
dian  name  of  the  Concord  River,  meaning  the  river  of 
meadows)  to  the  Pond-Lily,  which  will  be  very  beauti 
ful  and  appropriate,  as,  during  the  summer  season,  she 
will  bring  home  many  a  cargo  of  pond-lilies  from  along 
the  river's  weedy  shore.  It  is  not  very  likely  that  I 
shall  make  such  long  voyages  in  her  as  Mr.  Thoreau 
has  made.  He  once  followed  our  river  down  to  the 
Merrimack,  and  thauce,  I  believe,  to  Newburyport  in 
this  little  craft. 


100  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS. 

In  the  evening, called  to  see  us,  wishing 

to  talk  with  me  about  a  Boston  periodical,  of  which  he 
had  heard  that  I  was  to  be  editor,  and  to  which  he  de 
sired  to  contribute.  He  is  an  odd  and  clever  young  man, 
with  nothing  very  peculiar  about  him,  —  some  original 
ity  and  self-inspiration  in  his  character,  but  none,  or 
very  little,  in  his  intellect.  Nevertheless,  the  lad  him 
self  seems  to  feel  as  if  he  were  a  genius.  I  like  him 
well  enough,  however ;  but,  after  all,  these  originals  in 
a  small  way,  after  one  has  seen  a  few  of  them,  become 
more  dull  and  commonplace  than  even  those  who  keep 
the  ordinary  pathway  of  life.  They  have  a  rule  and  a 
routine,  which  they  follow  with  as  little  variety  as  other 
people  do  their  rule  and  routine  ;  and  when  once  we 
have  Fathomed  their  mystery,  nothing  can  be  more 
wearisome.  An  innate  perception  and  reflection  of 
truth  give  the  only  sort  of  originality  that  does  not  fi 
nally  grow  intolerable. 

September  kill.  —  I  made  a  voyage  in  the  Pond-Lily 
all  by  myself  yesterday  morning,  and  was  much  encour 
aged  by  my  success  in  causing  the  boat  to  go  whither  I 
would.  I  have  always  liked  to  be  afloat,  but  I  think  I 
have  never  adequately  conceived  of  the  enjoyment 
till  now,  when  I  begin  to  feel  a  power  over  that  which 
supports  me.  I  suppose  I  must  have  felt  something 
like  this  sense  of  triumph  when  I  first  learned  to  swim  ; 
but  I  have  forgotten  it.  O  that  I  could  run  wild !  — 
that  is,  that  I  could  put  myself  into  a  true  relation  with 
Nature,  and  be  on  friendly  terms  with  all  congenial  ele 
ments. 

We  had  a  thunder-storm   last  evening;   and  to-da$ 


1842.]  AMiUUCAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  101 

has  been  a  cool,  breezy  autumnal  day,  such  as  my  soul 
and  body  love. 

September  18th.  —  How  the  summer-time  flits  away, 
even  while  it  seems  to  be  loitering  onward,  arm  in  arm 
with  autumn !  Of  late  I  have  walked  but  little  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  woods,  my  leisure  being  chiefly 
occupied  with  my  boat,  which  I  have  now  learned  to 
manage  with  tolerable  skill.  Yesterday  afternoon  I 
made  a  voyage  alone  up  the  North  Branch  of  Concord 
River.  There  was  a  strong  west  wind  blowing  dead 
against  me,  which,  together  with  the  current,  increased 
by  the  height  of  the  water,  made  the  first  part  of  the 
passage  pretty  toilsome.  The  black  river  was  all 
dimpled  over  with  little  eddies  and  whirlpools ;  and  the 
breeze,  moreover,  caused  the  billows  to  beat  against  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  with  a  sound  like  the  flapping  of  a  bird's 
wing.  The  water-weeds,  where  they  were  discernible 
through  the  tawny  water,  were  straight  outstretched  by 
the  force  of  the  current,  looking  as  if  they  were  forced 
to  hold  on  to  their  roots  with  all  their  might.  If  for  a 
moment  I  desisted  from  paddling,  the  head  of  the  boat 
was  swept  round  by  the  combined  might  of  wind  and 
tide.  However,  I  toiled  onward  stoutly,  and,  entering 
the  North  Branch,  soon  found  myself  floating  quietly 
along  a  tranquil  stream,  sheltered  from  the  breeze  by 
the  woods  and  a  lofty  hill.  The  current,  likewise,  lin 
gered  along  so  gently  that  it  was  merely  a  pleasure  to 
propel  the  boat  against  it.  I  never  could  have  con 
ceived  that  there  was  so  beautiful  a  river-scene  in  Con 
cord  as  this  of  the  North  Branch.  The  stream  flows 
through  the  midmost  privacy  and  deepest  heart  of  a 


102  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

wood,  which,  as  if  but  half  satisfied  with  its  presence, 
calm,  gentle,  and  unobtrusive  as  it  is,  seems  to  cr  wd 
upon  it,  and  barely  to  allow  it  passage;  for  the  trees 
are  rooted  on  the  very  verge  of  the  water,  and  dip  their 
pendent  branches  into  it.  On  one  side  there  is  a  high 
bank,  forming  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  Indian  name  of 
which  I  have  forgotten,  though  Mr.  Thoreau  told  it  to 
me  ;  and  here,  in  some  instances,  the  trees  stand  leaning 
over  the  river,  stretching  out  their  arms  as  if  about  to 
plunge  in  headlong.  On  the  other  side,  the  bank  is 
almost  on  a  level  with  the  water ;  and  there  the  quiet 
congregation  of  trees  stood  with  feet  in  the  flood,  and 
fringed  with  foliage  down  to  its  very  surface.  Vines 
here  and  there  twine  themselves  about  bushes  or  aspens 
or  alder-trees,  and  hang  their  clusters  (though  scanty 
and  infrequent  this  season)  so  that  I  can  reach  them 
from  my  boat.  I  scarcely  remember  a  scene  of  more 
complete  and  lovely  seclusion  than  the  passage  of  the 
river  through  this  wood.  Even  an  Indian  canoe,  in 
olden  times,  could  not  have  floated  onward  in  deeper 
solitude  than  my  boat.  I  have  never  elsewhere  had 
such  an  opportunity  to  observe  how  much  more  beauti 
ful  reflection  is  than  what  we  call  reality.  The  sky,  and 
the  clustering  foliage  on  either  hand,  and  the  effect  of 
sunlight  as  it  found  its  way  through  the  shade,  giving 
lightsome  hues  in  contrast  with  the  quiet  depth  of  the 
prevailing  tints,  —  all  these  seemed  unsurpassably  beau 
tiful  when  beheld  in  upper  air.  But  on  gazing  down 
ward,  there  they  were,  the  same  even  to  the  minutest 
particular,  yet  arrayed  in  ideal  beauty,  which  satisfied 
the  spirit  incomparably  more  than  the  actual  scene.  I  am 
half  convinced  that  the  reflection  is  indeed  the  reality, 


1842.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  103 

the  real  thing  which  Nature  imperfectly  images  to  out 
grosser  sense.  At  any  rate,  the  disembodied  shadow  is 
nearest  to  the  soul. 

There  were  many  tokens  of  autumn  in  this  beautiful 
picture.  Two  or  three  of  the  trees  were  actually 
dressed  in  their  coats  of  many  colors,  —  the  real  scar 
let  and  gold  which  they  wear  before  they  put  on 
mourning.  These  stood  on  low,  marshy  spots,  where 
a  frost  has  probably  touched  them  already.  Others 
were  of  a  light,  fresh  green,  resembling  the  hues  of 
spring,  though  this,  likewise,  is  a  token  of  decay.  The 
great  mass  of  the  foliage,  however,  appears  unchanged ; 
but  ever  and  anon  down  came  a  yellow  leaf,  half  flitting 
upon  the  air,  half  falling  through  it,  and  finally  settling 
upon  the  water.  A  multitude  of  these  were  floating 
here  and  there  along  the  river,  many  of  them  curling 
upward,  so  as  to  form  little  boats,  fit  for  fairies  to  voy 
age  in.  They  looked  strangely  pretty,  with  yet  a 
melancholy  prettiness,  as  they  floated  along.  The 
general  aspect  of  the  river,  however,  differed  but  little 
from  that  of  summer,  —  at  least  the  difference  defies 
expression.  It  is  more  in  the  character  of  the  rich 
yellow  sunlight  than  in  aught  else.  The  water  of  the 
stream  has  now  a  thrill  of  autumnal  coolness ;  yet  when 
ever  a  broad  gleam  fell  across  it,  through  an  interstice 
of  the  foliage,  multitudes  of  insects  were  darting  to  and 
fro  upon  its  surface.  The  sunshine,  thus  falling  across 
the  dark  river,  has  a  most  beautiful  effect.  It  bur 
nishes  it,  as  it  were,  and  yet  leaves  it  as  dark  as  ever. 

On  my  return,  I  suffered  the  boat  to  float  almost  of 
its  own  will  down  the  stream,  and  caught  fish  enough 
for  this  morning's  breakfast.  But,  partly  f  *om  a  qualm 


104  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842, 

of  conscience,  I  finally  put  them  all  into  the  water 
again,  and  saw  them  swim  away  as  if  nothing  had  hap 
pened. 

Monday,  October  Wth. —  A  long  while,  indeed,  since 
my  last  date.  But  the  weather  has  been  generally 
sunny  and  pleasant,  though  often  very  cold;  and  I 
cannot  endure  to  waste  anything  so  precious  as  autum 
nal  sunshine  by  staying  in  the  house.  So  I  have 
spent  almost  all  the  daylight  hours  in  the  open  air. 
My  chief  amusement  has  been  boating  up  and  down  the 
river.  A  week  or  two  ago  (September  27  and  28)  1 
went  on  a  pedestrian  excursion  with  Mr.  Emerson,  and 
was  gone  two  days  and  one  night,  it  being  the  first  and 
only  night  that  I  have  spent  away  from  home.  We 
were  that  night  at  the  village  of  Harvard,  and  the  next 
morning  walked  three  miles  farther,  to  the  Shaker  vil 
lage,  where  we  breakfasted.  Mr.  Emerson  had  a  theo 
logical  discussion  with  two  of  the  Shaker  brethren  ;  but 
the  particulars  of  it  have  faded  from  my  memory  ;  and 
all  the  other  adventures  of  the  tour  have  now  so  lost 
their  freshness  that  I  cannot  adequately  recall  them. 
Wherefore  let  them  rest  untold.  I  recollect  nothing  so 
well  as  the  aspect  of  some  fringed  gentians,  which  we 
saw  growing  by  the  roadside,  and  which  were  so  beauti 
ful  that  I  longed  to  turn  back  and  pluck  them.  After 
an  arduous  journey,  we  arrived  safe  home  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  second  day,  —  the  first  time  that  I  ever  came 
home  in  my  life  ;  for  I  never  had  a  home  before.  On 

Saturday  of  the  same  week,  my  friend  D.  R came 

to  see  us,  and  stayed  till  Tuesday  morning.  On 
Wednesday  there  was  a  cattle-show  in  thf  village,  of 


1&42.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS  105 

which  I  would  give  a  description,  if  it  had  possessed 
any  picturesque  points.  The  foregoing  are  the  chief 
outward  events  of  our  life. 

In  the  mean  time  autumn  has  been  advancing,  and  13 
said  to  be  a  month  earlier  than  usual.  We  had  frosts, 
sufficient  to  kill  the  bean  and  squash  vines,  more  than  a 
fortnight  ago ;  but  there  has  since  been  some  of  the  most 
delicious  Indian-summer  weather  that  I  ever  experi 
enced, —  mild,  sweet,  perfect  days,  in  which  the  warm 
Burishine  seemed  to  embrace  the  earth  and  all  earth's 
children  with  love  and  tenderness.  Generally,  however, 
the  bright  days  have  been  vexed  with  winds  from  the 
northwest,  somewhat  too  keen  and  high  for  comfort. 
These  winds  have  strewn  our  avenue  with  withered 
leaves,  although  the  trees  still  retain  some  density  of 
foliage,  which  is  now  imbrowned  or  otherwise  variegated 
by  autumn.  Our  apples,  too,  have  been  falling,  falling, 
falling ;  and  we  have  picked  the  fairest  of  them  from  the 
dewy  grass,  and  put  them  in  our  store-room  and  else 
where.  On  Thursday,  John  Flint  began  to  gather  those 
which  remained  on  the  trees ;  and  I  suppose  they  will 
amount  to  nearly  twenty  barrels,  or  perhaps  more.  As 
usual  when  I  have  anything  to  sell,  apples  are  very  low 
indeed  in  price,  and  will  not  fetch  me  more  than  a 
dollar  a  barrel.  I  have  sold  my  share  of  the  potato- 
field  for  twenty  dollars  and  ten  bushels  of  potatoes  for 
my  own  use.  This  may  suffice  for  the  economical 
history  of  our  recent  life. 

]  2  o'clock,    M.  —  Just  now  I  heard  a  sharp  tapping 

at  the  window  of  my  study,  and,  looking  up  from  my 

book  (a  volume  of  Rabelais),  behold!  the   head  of  a 

little  bird,  who  seemed  to  demand  admittance  !    He  was 

5* 


106  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1842. 

probably  attempting  to  get  a  fly,  which  was  on  the  pano 
of  glass  against  which  he  rapped ;  and  on  my  first 
motion  the  feathered  visitor  took  wing.  This  incident 
had  a  cm  ious  effect  on  me.  It  impressed  me  as  if  the 
bird  had  been  a  spiritual  visitant,  so  strange  wras  it  that 
this  little  wild  thing  should  seem  to  ask  our  hospitality. 

November  $th.  —  I  am  sorry  that  our  journal  has 
fallen  so  into  neglect ;  but  I  see  no  chance  of  amend 
ment.  All  my  scribbling  propensities  will  be  far  more 
than  gratified  in  writing  nonsense  for  the  press  ;  so  that 
any  gratuitous  labor  of  the  pen  becomes  peculiarly  dis 
tasteful.  Since  the  last  date,  we  have  paid  a  visit  of 
nine  days  to  Boston  and  Salem,  whence  we  returned  a 
week  ago  yesterday.  Thus  we  lost  above  a  week  of 
delicious  autumnal  weather,  which  should  have  been 
spent  in  the  woods  or  upon  the  river.  Ever  since  our 
return,  however,  until  to-day,  there  has  been  a  succession 
of  genuine  Indian-summer  days,  with  gentle  winds  or 
none  at  all,  and  a  misty  atmosphere,  which  idealizes  all 
nature,  and  a  mild,  beneficent  sunshine,  inviting  one  to 
lie  down  in  a  nook  and  forget  all  earthly  care.  To-day 
the  sky  is  dark  and  lowering,  and  occasionally  lets  fall  a 
few  sullen  tears.  I  suppose  we  must  bid  farewell  to 
Indian  summer  now,  and  expect  no  more  love  and 
tenderness  from  Mother  Nature  till  next  spring  be  well 
advanced.  She  has  already  made  herself  as  unlovely 
in  outward  aspect  as  can  well  be.  We  took  a  walk  to 
Sleepy  Hollow  yesterday,  and  beheld  scarcely  a  green 
thing,  except  the  everlasting  verdure  of  the  family  of 
pines,  which,  indeed,  are  trees  to  thank  God  for  at  this 
season.  A  range  of  young  birches  had  retained  a  pretty 


1342.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BJOJC4  107 

liberal  coloring  of  yellow  or  tawny  leaves,  which  became 
very  cheerful  in  the  sunshine.  There  were  one  or  two 
oak-trees  whose  foliage  still  retained  a  deep,  dusky  red, 
which  looked  rich  and  warm  ;  but  most  of  the  oaks  had1 
reached  the  last  stage  of  autumnal  decay,  —  the  dusk* 
brown  hue.  Millions  of  their  leaves  strew  the  woods 
and  rustle  underneath  the  foot ;  but  enough  remai* 
upon  the  boughs  to  make  a  melancholy  harping  when 
the  wind  sweeps  over  them.  We  found  some  fringed 
gentians  in  the  meadow,  most  of  them  blighted  and  with 
ered  ;  but  a  few  were  quite  perfect.  The  other  day, 
since  our  return  from  Salem,  I  found  a  violet ;  yet  ii 
was  so  cold  that  day,  that  a  large  pool  of  water,  undei 
the  shadow  of  some  trees,  had  remained  frozen  from 
morning  till  afternoon.  The  ice  was  so  thick  as  not  to 
be  broken  by  some  sticks  and  small  stones  which  I  threw 
upon  it.  But  ice  and  snow  too  will  soon  be  no  extraor 
dinary  matters  with  us. 

During  the  last  week  we  have  had  three  stoves  put 
up,  and  henceforth  no  light  of  a  cheerful  fire  will  glad 
den  us  at  eventide.  Stoves  are  detestable  in  every  re 
spect,  except  that  they  keep  us  perfectly  comfortable. 

Thursday,  November  24th.  —  This  is  Thanksgiving 
Day,  a  good  old  festival,  and  we  have  kept  it  with  our 
hearts,  and,  besides,  have  made  good  cheer  upon  our 
turkey  and  pudding,  and  pies  and  custards,  although 
none  sat  at  our  board  but  our  two  selves.  There  was  a 
new  and  livelier  sense,  I  think,  that  we  have  at  last 
found  a  home,  and  that  a  new  family  has  been  gathered 
since  the  last  Thanksgiving  Day.  There  have  been 
many  br  «*ht,  cold  days  latterly,  —  so  cold  that  it  baa 


108  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843 

required  a  pretty  rapid  pace  to  keep  one's  self  warm 
a-walking.  Day  before  yesterday  I  saw  a  party  of  boys 
skating  on  a  pond  of  water  that  has  overflowed  a  neigh 
boring  meadow.  Running  water  has  not  yet  frozen. 
Vegetation  has  quite  come  to  a  stand,  except  in  a  few- 
sheltered  spots.  In  a  deep  ditch  we  found  a  tall  plant 
of  the  freshest  and  healthiest  green,  which  looked  as  if 
it  must  have  grown  within  the  last  few  weeks.  We 
wander  among  the  wood-paths,  which  are  very  pleasant 
in  the  sunshine  of  the  afternoons,  the  trees  looking  rich 
and  warm,  —  such  of  them,  I  mean,  as  have  retained 
their  russet  leaves  ;  and  where  the  leaves  are  strewn 
along  the  paths,  or  heaped  plentifully  in  some  hollow 
of  the  hills,  the  effect  is  not  without  a  charm.  To-day 
the  morning  rose  with  rain,  which  has  since  changed  to 
snow  and  sleet ;  and  now  the  landscape  is  as  dreary  as 
ean  well  be  imagined,  —  white,  with  the  brownness  of 
the  soil  and  withered  grass  everywhere  peeping  out. 
The  swollen  river,  of  a  leaden  hue,  drags  itself  sullenly 
along ;  and  this  may  be  termed  the  first  winter's  day. 

Friday,  March  31st,  1843.  —  The  first  month  of 
spring  is  already  gone  ;  and  still  the  snow  lies  deep  on 
hill  and  valley,  and  the  river  is  still  frozen  from  bank  to 
bank,  although  a  late  rain  has  caused  pools  of  water  to 
stand  on  the  surface  of  the  ice,  and  the  meadows  are 
overflowed  into  broad  lakes.  Such  a  protracted  winter 
has  not  been  known  for  twenty  years,  at  least.  I  have 
almost  forgotten  the  wood-paths  and  shady  places  which 
I  used  to  know  so  well  last  summer ;  and  my  views  are 
so  much  confined  to  the  interior  of  our  mansion,  that 
sometimes,  looking  out  of  the  window,  I  am  surprised  to 


AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  109 


catch  a  glimpse  of  houses,  at  no  great  distance,  which  had 
quite  passed  out  of  my  recollection.  From  present  ap 
pearances,  another  month  may  scarcely  suffice  to  wash 
away  all  the  snow  from  the  open  country  ;  and  in  the 
woods  and  hollows  it  may  linger  yet  longer.  The  win 
ter  will  not  have  been  a  day  less  than  five  months  long  ; 
and  it  would  not  be  unfair  to  call  it  seven.  A  great 
space,  indeed,  to  miss  the  smile  of  Nature,  in  a  single 
year  of  human  life.  Even  out  of  the-  midst  of  happiness 
I  have  sometimes  sighed  and  groaned  ;  for  I  Jove  the 
sunshine  and  the  green  woods,  and  the  sparkling  blue 
water  ;  and  it  seems  as  if  the  picture  of  our  inward  bliss 
should  be  set  in  a  beautiful  frame  of  outward  nature  ..... 
As  to  the  daily  course  of  our  life,  I  have  written  with 
pretty  commendable  diligence,  averaging  from  two  to 
four  hours  a  day  ;  and  the  result  is  seen  in  various 
magazines.  I  might  have  written  more,  if  it  had  seemed 
worth  while  ;  but  I  was  content  to  earn  only  so  much 
gold  as  might  suffice  for  our  immediate  wants,  having 
prospect  of  official  station  and  emolument  which  would 
do  away  with  the  necessity  of  writing  for  bread.  Those 
prospects  have  not  yet  had  their  fulfilment  ;  and  we  are 
well  content  to  wait,  because  an  office  would  inevitably 
remove  us  from  our  present  happy  home,  —  at  least 
from  an  outward  home  ;  for  there  is  an  inner  one  that 
will  accompany  us  wherever  we  go.  Meantime,  the 
magazine  people  do  not  pay  their  debts  ;  so  that  we  taste 
some  of  the  inconveniences  of  poverty.  It  is  an  annoy 
ance,  not  a  trouble. 

Every  day,  I  trudge  through  snow  and  slosh  to  the 
village,  look  into  the  post-office,  and  spend  an  hour  at 
the  reading-room  ;  and  then  return  home,  generally  with- 


110  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843, 

out  having  spoken  a  word  to  a  human  being In 

the  way  of  exercise  I  saw  and  split  wood,  and,  physically, 
I  never  was  in  a  better  condition  than  now.  This  is 
chiefly  owing,  doubtless,  to  a  satisfied  heart,  in  aid  of 
which  comes  the  exercise  above  mentioned,  and  about  a 
fair  proportion  of  intellectual  labor. 

On  the  9th  of  this  month,  we  left  home  again  on  a 
visit  to  Boston  and  Salem.  I  alone  went  to  Salem, 
where  I  resumed  all  my  bachelor  habits  for  nearly  a 
fortnight,  leading  the  same  life  in  which  ten  years  of 
my  youth  flitted  away  like  a  dream.  But  how  much 
changed  was  I !  At  last  I  had  caught  hold  of  a  reality 
which  never  could  be  taken  from  me.  It  was  good 
thus  to  get  apart  from  my  happiness,  for  the  sake  of 
contemplating  it.  On  the  21st,  I  returned  to  Boston, 
and  went  out  to  Cambridge  to  dine  with  Longfellow, 
whom  I  had  not  seen  since  his  return  from  Europe. 
The  next  day  we  came  back  to  our  old  house,  which 
had  been  deserted  all  this  time ;  for  our  servant  had 
gone  with  us  to  Boston. 

Friday,  April  7th.  —  My  wife  has  gone   to  Boston 

to  see  her  sister  M ,  who  is  to  be  married  in  two  or 

three  weeks,  and  then  immediately  to  visit  Europe  for 
six  months I  betook  myself  to  sawing  and  split 
ting  wood;  there  being  an  inward  unquielness  which 
demanded  active  exercise,  and  I  sawed,  I  think,  more 
briskly  than  ever  before.  When  I  re-entered  the  house, 
it  was  with  somewhat  of  a  desolate  feeling ;  yet  not 
without  an  intermingled  pleasure,  as  being  the  more 
conscious  that  all  separation  was  temporary,  and  scarcely 
real,  even  for  the  little  time  that  it  may  last.  After  my 


1843. J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  Ill 

solitary  dinner,  I  lay  down,  with  the  Dial  in  my  hand, 

and  attempted  to  sleep  ;  but  sleep  would  not  come 

So  I  arose,  and  began  this  record  in  the  journal,  almost 
at  the  commencement  of  which  I  was  interrupted  by  a 
visit  from  Mr.  Thoreau,  who  came  to  return  a  book,  and 
to  announce  his  purpose  of  going  to  reside  at  Stateu 
Island,  as  private  tutor  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Emerson's 
brother.  We  had  some  conversation  upon  this  subject, 
and  upon  the  spiritual  advantages  of  change  of  place, 
and  upon  the  Dial,  and  upon  Mr.  Alcott,  and  other  kin 
dred  or  concatenated  subjects.  I  am  glad,  on  Mr.  Tho-- 
reau's  own  account,  that  he  is  going  away,  as  he  is  out 
of  health,  and  may  be  benefited  by  his  removal ;  but,  on 
my  account,  I  should  like  to  have  him  remain  here,  he 
being  one  of  the  few  persons,  I  think,  with  whom  to 
hold  intercourse  is  like  hearing  the  wind  among  the 
boughs  of  a  forest-tree ;  and,  with  all  this  wild  freedom, 

there  is  high  and  classic  cultivation  in  him  too 

I  had  a  purpose,  if  circumstances  would  permit,  of 
passing  the  whole  term  of  my  wife's  absence  without 
speaking  a  word  to  any  human  being;  but  now  my 
Pythagorean  vow  has  been  broken,  within  three  or 
four  hours  after  her  departure. 

Saturday,  April  8th.  —  After  journalizing  yesterday 
afternoon,  I  went  out  and  sawed  and  split  wood  till 
tea-time,  then  studied  German  (translating  Lenore), 
with  an  occasional  glance  at  a  beautiful  sunset,  which 
I  could  not  enjoy  sufficiently  by  myself  to  induce  me 
to  lay  aside  the  book.  After  lamplight,  finished  Lenore, 
and  drowAid  over  Voltaire's  Candide,  occasionally  re 
freshing  myself  wJtt  a  tune  from  Mr.  Thoreau's  rnusi- 


112  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

cal   box,    which   he   had    left   in   my   keeping,       The 
evening  was  but  a  dull  one. 

I  retired  soon  after  nine,  and  felt  some  apprehension 
that  the  old  Doctor's  ghost  would  take  this  opportunity 
to  visit  me  ;  but  I  rather  think  his  former  visitations 
have  not  been  intended  for  me,  and  that  I  am  not 
sufficiently  spiritual  for  ghostly  communication.  At  all 
events,  I  met  with  no  disturbance  of  the  kind,  and  slept 
soundly  enough  till  six  o'clock  or  thereabouts.  The 
forenoon  was  spent  with  the  pen  in  my  hand,  and  some 
times  I  had  the  glimmering  of  an  idea,  and  endeavored 
to  materialize  it  in  words ;  but  on  the  whole  my  mind 
was  idly  vagrant,  and  refused  to  work  to  any  syste 
matic  purpose.  Between  eleven  and  twelve  I  went  to 
the  post-office,  but  found  no  letter ;  then  spent  above 
an  hour  reading  at  the  Athenaeum.  On  my  way  home, 
I  encountered  Mr.  Flint,  for  the  first  time  these  many 
weeks,  although  he  is  our  next  neighbor  in  one  direc 
tion.  I  inquired  if  he  could  sell  us  some  potatoes,  and 
he  promised  to  send  half  a  bushel  for  trial.  Also, 
he  encouraged  me  to  hope  that  he  might  buy  a  barrel 
of  our  apples.  After  my  encounter  with  Mr.  Flint,  I 
returned  to  our  lonely  old  abbey,  opened  the  door  with 
out  the  usual  heart-spring,  ascended  to  my  study,  and 
began  to  read  a  tale  of  Tieck.  Slow  work,  and  dull 
work  too!  Anon,  Molly,  the  cook,  rang  the  bell  for 
dinner,  —  a  sumptuous  banquet  of  stewed  veal  and 
macaroni,  to  which  I  sat  down  in  solitary  state.  My 
nppetite  served  me  sufficiently  to  eat  with,  but  not  for 
enjoyment.  Nothing  has  a  zest  in  my  present  widowed 
state.  [Thus  far  I  had  written,  when  Mr.  Emerson 
called.]  After  dinner,  I  lay  down  on  the  couch,  with 


843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  1.)  3 

the  Dial  in  my  hand  as  a  soporific,  and  had  a  short 
nap ;  then  began  to  journalize. 

Mr.  Emerson  came,  with  a  sunbeam  in  his  face ;  and 
we  had  as  good  a  talk  as  I  ever  remember  to  have  had 
with  him.  He  spoke  of  Margaret  Fuller,  who,  he  says, 
has  risen  perceptibly  into  a  higher  state  since  their  last 
meeting.  [There  rings  the  tea-bell.]  Then  we  dis 
coursed  of  Ellery  Channing,  a  volume  of  whose  poems 
is  to  be  immediately  published,  with  revisions  by  Mr. 

Emerson  himself  and  Mr.  Sam  G.  Ward He  calls 

them  "  poetry  for  poets."  Next  Mr.  Thoreau  was  dis 
cussed,  and  his  approaching  departure;  in  respect  to 

which  we   agreed    pretty  well We  talked  of 

Brook  Farm,  and  the  singular  moral  aspects  which  it 
presents,  and  the  great  desirability  that  its  progress  and 
developments  should  be  observed  and  its  history  writ 
ten  ;  also  of  C.  N ,  who,  it  appears,  is  passing 

through  a  new  moral  phasis.  He  is  silent,  inexpressive, 
talks  little  or  none,  and  listens  without  response,  except 
a  sardonic  laugh  ;  and  some  of  his  friends  think  that  he 
is  passing  into  permanent  eclipse.  Various  other  mat 
ters  were  considered  or  glanced  at,  and  finally,  between 
five  and  six  o'clock,  Mr.  Emerson  took  his  leave.  I 
then  went  out  to  chop  wood,  my  allotted  space  for 
which  had  been  very  much  abridged  by  his  visit ;  but 
I  was  not  sorry.  I  went  on  with  the  journal  for  a  few 
minutes  before  tea,  and  have  finished  the  present  rec 
ord  in  the  setting  sunshine  and  gathering  dusk 

Salem.  —  ....  Here  I  am,  in  my  old  chamber,  where 
I  produced  those  stupendous  works  of  fiction  which 
have  since  impressed  the  universe  with  wonderment  and 

H 


114  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [184.H. 

awe!  To  this  chamber,  doubtless,  in  all  succeeding 
ages,  pilgrims  will  come  to  pay  their  tribute  of  rever 
ence  ;  —  they  will  put  off  their  shoes  at  the  threshold 
for  fear  of  desecrating  the  tattered  old  carpets! 
"  There,"  they  will  exclaim,  "  is  the  very  bed  in  which 
he  slumbered,  and  where  he  was  visited  by  those  ethe 
real  visions  which  he  afterwards  fixed  forever  in  glow 
ing  words!  There  is  the  wash-stand  at  which  this 
exalted  personage  cleansed  himself  from  the  stains  of 
earth,  and  rendered  his  outward  man  a  fitting  exponent 
of  the  pure  soul  within.  There,  in  its  mahogany  frame, 
is  the  dressing-glass,  which  often  reflected  that  noble 
brow,  those  hyacinthine  locks,  that  mouth  bright  with 
smiles  or  tremulous  with  feeling,  that  flashing  or  melt 
ing  eye,  that  —  in  short,  every  item  of  the  magnani 
mous  face  of  this  unexampled  man.  There  i*  the 
pine  table,  —  there  the  old  flag-bottomed  chair  on  which 
he  sat,  and  at  which  he  scribbled,  during  his  agonier  of 
inspiration !  There  is  the  old  chest  of  drawers  in 
which  he  kept  what  shirts  a  poor  author  may  be  sup 
posed  to  have  possessed  !  There  is  the  closet  in  which 
was  reposited  his  threadbare  suit  of  black !  There  is 
the  worn-out  shoe-brush  with  which  this  polished  writer 
polished  his  boots.  There  is  —  "  but  I  believe  this  will 

be  pretty  much  all,  so  here  I  close  the  catalogue 

A  cloudy  veil  stretches  over  the  abyss  of  my  nature. 
I  have,  however,  no  love  of  secrecy  and  darkness.  I 
urn  glad  to  think  that  God  sees  through  my  heart,  and, 
if  any  angel  has  power  to  penetrate  into  it,  ne  is  wel 
come  to  know  everything  that  is  there,  les,  ape?  so 
may  any  mortal  who  is  capable  of  full  sympxriiy,  .nnd 
therefore  worthy  to  come  into  my  deprfcs  JVf  he 


1843.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  115 

must  find  his  own  way  there.  I  can  neither  guide  nor 
enlighten  him.  It  is  this  involuntary  reserve,  I  sup 
pose,  that  has  given  the  objectivity  to  my  writings ; 
and  when  people  think  that  I  am  pouring  myself  out 
in  a  tale  or  an  essay,  I  am  merely  telling  what  is  com 
mon  to  human  nature,  not  what  is  peculiar  to  myself. 

I  sympathize  with  them,  not  they  with  me 

I  have  recently  been  both  lectured  about  and 
preached  about  here  in  my  native  city ;  the  preacher 
was  Rev.  Mr.  Fox  of  Newburyport ;  but  how  he  con 
trived  to  put  me  into  a  sermon  I  know  not.  I  trust  he 
took  for  his  text,  "  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom 
there  is  no  guile." 

Salem,  March  12th.  — .  .  .  .  That  poor  home  !  how 
desolate  it  is  now !  Last  night,  being  awake,  .  .  . 
my  thoughts  travelled  back  to  the  lonely  old  Manse; 
and  it  seemed  as  if  I  were  wandering  up  stairs  and 
down  stairs  all  by  myself.  My  fancy  was  almost  afraid 
to  be  there  alone.  I  could  see  every  object  in  a  dim, 
gray  light,  —  our  chamber,  the  study,  all  in  confusion  ; 
the  parlor,  with  the  fragments  of  that  abortive  break 
fast  on  the  table,  and  the  precious  silver  forks,  and  the 
old  bronze  image,  keeping  its  solitary  stand  upon  the 
mantel-piece.  Then,  methought,  the  wretched  Vigwig- 
gie  came,  and  jumped  upon  the  window-sill,  and  clung 
there  with  her  fore  paws,  mewing  dismally  for  admit 
tance,  which  I  could  not  grant  her,  being  there  myself 
only  in  the  spirit.  And  then  came  the  ghost  of  the  old 
Doctor,  stalking  through  the  gallery,  and  down  the 
staircase,  and  peeping  into  the  parlor;  and  though  I 
was  wide  awake,  and  conscious  of  being  so  many  mile* 


116  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

from  the  spot,  still  it  was  quite  awful  to  think  of  th? 
$host  having  sole  possession  of  our  home  ;  for  I  could 
aot  quite  separate  myself  from  it,  after  all.  Somehow 

<he  Doctor  and  I  seemed  to  be  there  tete-a-tete I 

believe  I  did  not  have  any  fantasies  about  the  ghostly 
kitchen-maid  ;  but  I  trust  Mary  left  the  flat-irons  within 
aer  reach,  so  that  she  may  do  all  her  ironing  while  we 
are  away,  and  never  disturb  us  more  at  midnight.  I 
suppose  she  comes  thither  to  iron  her  shroud,  and  per 
haps,  likewise,  to  smooth  the  Doctor's  band.  Probably, 
during  her  lifetime,  she  allowed  him  to  go  to  some  ordi 
nation  or  other  grand  clerical  celebration  with  rumpled 
linen ;  and  ever  since,  and  throughout  all  earthly  futu 
rity  (at  least,  as  long  as  the  house  shall  stand),  she  is 
doomed  to  exercise  a  nightly  toil  with  a  spiritual  flat- 
iron.  Poor  sinner!  —  and  doubtless  Satan  heats  the 
irons  for  her.  What  nonsense  is  all  this !  but,  really, 
it  does  make  me  shiver  to  think  of  that  poor  home  of 
ours. 

March  1 6th.  —  ....  As  for  this  Mr. ,  I   wish 

he  would  not  be  so  troublesome.  His  scheme  is  well 
enough,  and  might  possibly  become  popular;  but  it 
has  no  peculiar  advantages  with  reference  to  myself, 
nor  do  the  subjects  of  his  proposed  books  particularly 
suit  my  fancy  as  themes  to  write  upon.  Somebody  else 
will  answer  his  purpose  just  as  well;  and  I  would 
rather  write  books  of  my  own  imagining  than  be  hired 
to  develop  the  ideas  of  an  engraver ;  especially  as  the 
pecuniary  prospect  is  not  better,  nor  so  good,  as  it  might 
be  elsewhere.  I  intend  to  adhere  to  my  former  plan 
of  writing  one  or  two  mythological  story-books,  to  be 


Ict3.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  117 

published  under  O'Sullivan's  auspices  in  New  York,  — • 
which  is  the  only  place  where  books  can  be  published 
with  a  chance  of  profit.  As  a  matter  of  courtesy,  I  may 

call  on  Mr. if  I  have  time  ;  but  I  do  not  intend  to 

be  connected  with  this  affair. 

Sunday,  April  9th.  — .  .  .  .  After  finishing  my  record 
in  the  journal,  I   sat   a   long  time   in   grandmother's 

chair,  thinking  of  many  things My  spirits  were  at 

a  lower  ebb  than  they  ever  descend  to  when  I  am  not 
alone ;  nevertheless,  neither  was  I  absolutely  sad. 
Many  times  I  wound  and  rewound  Mr.  Thoreau's  little 
musical  box ;  but  certainly  its  peculiar  sweetness  had 
evaporated,  and  I  am  pretty  sure  that  I  should  throw  it 
out  of  the  window  were  I  doomed  to  hear  it  long  and 
often.  It  has  not  an  infinite  soul.  When  it  was  almost 
as  dark  as  the  moonlight  would  let  it  be,  I  lighted  the 
lamp,  and  went  on  with  Tieck's  tale,  slowly  and  painful 
ly,  often  wishing  for  help  in  my  difficulties.  At  last  I 
determined  to  learn  a  little  about  pronouns  and  verbs 
before  proceeding  further,  and  so  took  up  the  phrase- 
book,  with  which  I  was  commendably  busy,  when,  at 
about  a  quarter  to  nine,  came  a  knock  at  my  study-door, 
and,  behold,  there  was  Molly  with  a  letter!  How  she 
came  by  it  I  did  not  ask,  being  content  to  suppose  it  was 
brought  by  a  heavenly  messenger.  I  had  not  expected 
a  letter ;  and  what  a  comfort  it  was  to  me  in  my  loneli 
ness  and  sombreness !  I  called  Molly  to  take  her  note 
(enclosed),  which  she  received  with  a  face  of  delight  as 
broad  and  bright  as  the  kitchen  fire.  Then  I  read,  and 
re-read,  and  re-re-read,  and  quadruply,  quintuply,  and 
sextuply  re-read  my  epistle,  until  I  had  it  all  by  heart, 


118  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  |_1843. 

and  then  continued  to  re-read  it  for  the  sake  of  the  pen 
manship.  Then  I  took  up  the  phrase-book  again  ;  but 
could  not  study,  and  so  bathed  and  retired,  it  being  now 
not  far  from  ten  o'clock.  I  lay  awake  a  good  deal  in 
the  night,  but  saw  no  ghost. 

I  arose  about  seven,  and  found  that  the  upper  part  of 
my  nose,  and  the  region  round  about,  was  grievously 
discolored ;  and  at  the  angle  of  the  left  eye  there  is  a 
great  spot  of  almost  black  purple,  and  a  broad  streak 
of  the  same  hue  semicircling  beneath  either  eye,  while 
green,  yellow,  and  orange  overspread  the  circumjacent 
country.  It  looks  not  unlike  a  gorgeous  sunset,  throw 
ing  its  splendor  over  the  heaven  of  my  countenance. 
It  will  behoove  me  to  show  myself  as  little  as  possible, 
else  people  will  think  I  have  fought  a  pitched  bat 
tle The  Devil  take  the  stick  of  wood  !  What  hnd 

I  done,  that  it  should  bemaul  me  so?  However,  there 
is  no  pain,  though,  I  think,  a  very  slight  affection  ot 
the  eyes. 

This  forenoon  I  began  to  write,  and  caught  an  idea 
by  the  skirts,  which  I  intend  to  hold  fast,  though  it 
struggles  to  get  free.  As  it  was  not  ready  to  be  put 
upon  paper,  however,  I  took  up  the  Dial,  and  finished 
reading  the  article  on  Mr.  Alcott.  It  is  not  very  satis 
factory,  and  it  has  not  taught  me  much.  Then  I  read 
Margaret's  article  on  Canova,  which  is  good.  About 
this  time  the  dinner-bell  rang,  and  I  went  down  without 

much  alacrity,  though  with  a  good  appetite  enough 

It  was  in  the  angle  of  my  right  eye,  not  my  left,  that 
the  blackest  purple  was  collected.  But  they  both 
look  like  the  very  Devil. 

Half  past  Jive  o'clock.  —  After  writing  the  above, 


1843.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  119 

I  again  set  to  work  on  Tieck's  tale,  and  worried  through 
several  pages  ;  and  then,  at  half  past  four,  threw  open 
one  of  the  western  windows  of  my  study,  and  sallied 
forth  to  take  the  sunshine.  I  went  down  through  the 
orchard  to  the  river-side.  The  orchard-path  is  still 
deeply  covered  with  snow ;  and  so  is  the  whole  visible 
universe,  except  streaks  upon  the  hillsides,  and  spots  in 
the  sunny  hollows,  where  the  brown  earth  peeps  through. 
The  river,  which  a  few  days  ago  was  entirely  impris 
oned,  has  now  broken  its  fetters ;  but  a  tract  of  ice 
extended  across  from  near  the  foot  of  the  monument  to 
the  abutment  of  the  old  bridge,  and  looked  so  solid  that 
I  supposed  it  would  yet  remain  for  a  day  or  two. 
Large  cakes  and  masses  of  ice  came  floating  down  the 
current,  which,  though  not  very  violent,  hurried  along 
at  a  much  swifter  pace  than  the  ordinary  one  of  our 
sluggish  river-god.  These  ice-masses,  when  they  struck 
the  barrier  of  ice  above  mentioned,  acted  upon  it  like 
a  battering-ram,  and  were  themselves  forced  high  out 
of  the  water,  or  sometimes  carried  beneath  the  main 
sheet  of  ice.  At  last,  down  the  stream  came  an 
immense  mass  of  ice,  and,  striking  the  barrier  about  at 
its  centre,  it  gave  way,  and  the  whole  was  swept 
onward  together,  leaving  the  river  entirely  free,  with 
only  here  and  there  a  cake  of  ice  floating  quietly  along. 
The  great  accumulation,  in  its  downward  course,  hit 
against  a  tree  that  stood  in  mid-current,  and  caused  it 
to  quiver  like  a  reed;  and  it  swept  quite  over  the 
shrubbery  that  bordered  what,  in  summer-time,  is  the 
river's  bank,  but  which  is  now  nearly  the  centre  of 
the  stream.  Our  river  in  its  present  state  has  quite  a 
noble  breadth.  The  little  hillock  which  formed  the 


120  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843 

abutment  of  the  old  bridge  is  now  an  island  with  its 
tuft  of  trees.  Along  the  hither  shore  a  row  of  trees 
stand  up  to  their  knees,  and  the  smaller  ones  to  their 
middles,  in  the  water ;  and  afar  off,  on  the  surface  of 
the  stream,  we  see  tufts  of  bushes  emerging,  thrusting 
up  their  heads,  as  it  were,  to  breathe.  The  water 
comes  over  the  stone  wall,  and  encroaches  several  yards 
on  the  boundaries  of  our  orchard.  [Here  the  supper- 
bell  rang.]  If  our  boat  were  in  good  order,  I  should 
now  set  forth  on  voyages  of  discovery,  and  visit  nooks 
on  the  borders  of  the  meadows,  which  by  and  by  will 
be  a  mile  or  two  from  the  water's  edge.  But  she  is 
in  very  bad  condition,  full  of  water,  aad,  doubtless,  as 
leaky  as  a  sieve. 

On  coming  from  supper,  I  found  that  little  Puss  had 
established  herself  in  the  study,  probably  with  intent 
to  pass  the  night  here.  She  now  lies  on  the  footstool 
between  my  feet,  purring  most  obstreperously.  The 
day  of  my  wife's  departure,  she  came  to  me,  talking 
with  the  greatest  earnestness ;  but  whether  it  was  to 
condole  with  me  on  my  loss,  or  to  demand  my  re 
doubled  care  for  herself,  I  could  not  well  make  out. 
As  Puss  now  constitutes  a  third  part  of  the  family, 
this  mention  of  her  will  not  appear  amiss.  How  Molly 
employs  herself,  I  know  not.  Once  in  a  while,  I  hear 
a  door  slam  like  a  thunder-clap ;  but  she  never  shows 
her  face,  nor  speaks  a  word,  unless  to  announce  a  visitor 
or  deliver  a  letter.  This  day,  on  my  part,  will  have 
been  spent  without  exchanging  a  syllable  with  any 
human  being,  unless  something  unforeseen  should  yet 
call  for  the  exercise  of  speech  before  bedtime. 


[843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  121 

Monday,  April  10th. —  I  sat  till  eight  o'clock,  medi 
tating  upon  this  world  and  the  next,  ....  and  some 
times  dimly  shaping  out  scenes  of  a  tale.  Then  betook 
myself  to  the  German  phrase-book.  Ah !  these  are 
but  dreary  evenings.  The  lamp  would  not  brighten 
my  spirits,  though  it  was  duly  filled This  fore 
noon  w  a.s  spent  in  scribbling,  by  no  means  to  my  satis- 
factionv  until  past  eleven,  when  I  went  to  the  village. 
Nothing  in  our  box  at  the  post-office.  I  read  during 
the  customary  hour,  or  more,  at  the  Athenaeum,  and 
returned  without  saying  a  word  to  mortal.  I  gathered, 
from  some  conversation  that  I  heard,  that  a  son  of 
Adam  is  to  be  buried  this  afternoon  from  the  meeting 
house  ;  but  the  name  of  the  deceased  escaped  me. 
It  is  no  great  matter,  so  it  be  but  written  in  the 
Book  of  Life. 

My  variegated  face  looks  somewhat  more  human 
to-day ;  though  I  was  unaffectedly  ashamed  to  meet 
anybody's  gaze,  and  therefore  turned  my  back  or  my 
shoulder  as  much  as  possible  upon  the  world.  At 
dinner,  behold  an  immense  joint  of  roast  veal !  I  would 
willingly  have  had  some  assistance  in  the  discussion  of 
this  great  piece  of  calf.  I  am  ashamed  to  eat  alone ; 
it  becomes  the  mere  gratification  of  animal  appetite,  — 
the  tribute  which  we  are  compelled  to  pay  to  our 
grosser  nature ;  whereas  in  the  company  of  another 
it  is  refined  and  moralized  and  spiritualized ;  and  over 
our  earthly  victuals  (or  rather  vittles,  for  the  former  is 
a  very  foolish  mode  of  spelling),  —  over  our  earthly 
vittles  is  diffused  a  sauce  of  lofty  and  gentle  thoughts, 
and  tough  tneat  is  mollified  with  tender  feelings.  But 
oh !  these  solitary  meals  are  the  dismalles*.  part  of  my 

VOL.   II.  G 


122  AMERICAN    NOTEBOOKS.  fl.J543, 

present  experience.  When  the  company  rose  from  table, 
they  all,  in  my  single  person,  ascended  to  the  study, 
and  employed  themselves  in  reading  the  article  on 
Oregon  in  the  Democratic  Review.  Then  they  plod  led 
onward  in  the  rugged  and  bewildering  depths  of  Tieck's 
tale  until  five  o'clock,  when,  with  one  accord,  they  wenf 
out  to  split  wood.  This  has  been  a  gray  day,  with  now 
and  then  a  sprinkling  of  snow-flakes  through  the  air.  . . . 
To-day  no  more  than  yesterday  have  I  spoken  a  word 

to  mortal It,  is  now  sunset,  and  I  must  meditate 

till  dark. 

April  \\th. — I  meditated  accordingly,  but  without 
any  very  wonderful  result.  Then  at  eight  o'clock  both 
ered  myself  till  after  nine  with  this  eternal  tale  of 
Tieck.  The  forenoon  was  spent  in  scribbling;  but  at 
eleven  o'clock  my  thoughts  ceased  to  flow,  —  indeed, 
their  current  has  been  wofully  interrupted  all  along, 
—  so  I  threw  down  my  pen,  and  set  out  on  the  daily 
journey  to  the  village.  Horrible  walking !  I  wasted 
the  customary  hour  at  the  Athenaeum,  and  returned 
home,  if  home  it  may  now  be  called.  Till  dinner-time 
I  labored  on  Tieck's  tale,  and  resumed  that  agreeable 
employment  after  the  banquet. 

Just  when  I  was  on  the  point  of  choking  with  a 
huge  German  word,  Molly  announced  Mr.  Thoreau.  He 
wished  to  take  a  row  in  the  boat,  for  the  last  time, 
perhaps,  before  he  leaves  Concord.  So  we  emptied 
the  water  out  of  her,  and  set  forth  on  our  voyage.  She 
leaks,  but  not  more  than  she  did  in  the  autumn.  We 
rowed  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  borders  the  North 
Branch,  and  there  landed,  and  climbed  the  moist  and 


1843.1  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  123 

snowy  hillside  for  the  sake  of  the  prospect.  Looking 
down  the  river,  it  might  well  have  been  mistaken  for 
an  arm  of  the  sea,  so  broad  is  now  its  swollen  tide ; 
and  I  could  have  fancied  that,  beyond  one  other  head 
land,  the  mighty  ocean  would  outspread  itself  before  the 
eye.  On  our  return  we  boarded  a  large  cake  of  ice, 
which  was  floating  down  the  river,  and  were  borne  by 
it  directly  to  our  own  landing-place,  with  the  boat 
towing  behind. 

Parting  with  Mr.  Thoreau,  I  spent  half  an  hour  in 
chopping  wood,  when  Molly  informed  me  that  Mr.  Em 
erson  wished  to  see  me.  He  had  brought  a  letter  of 
Ellery  Channing,  written  in  a  style  of  very  pleasant 
humor.  This  being  read  and  discussed,  together  with 
a  few  other  matters,  he  took  his  leave,  since  which  I 
have  been  attending  to  my  journalizing  duty  ;  and  thus 
this  record  is  brought  down  to  the  present  moment. 

April  25th.  —  Spring  is  advancing,  sometimes  with 
sunny  days,  and  sometimes,  as  is  the  case  now,  with 
chill,  moist,  sullen  ones.  There  is  an  influence  in  the 
season  that  makes  it  almost  impossible  for  me  to  bring 
my  mind  down  to  literary  employment ;  perhaps  because 
several  months'  pretty  constant  work  has  exhausted 
that  species  of  energy,  —  perhaps  because  in  spring  it  ia 
more  natural  to  labor  actively  than  to  think.  But  my 
impulse  now  is  to  be  idle  altogether,  —  to  lie  in  the 
sun,  or  wander  about  and  look  at  the  revival  of  Nature 
from  her  deathlike  slumber,  or  to  be  borne  down  the 
current  of  the  river  in  my  boat.  If  I  had  wings,  I 
would  gladly  fly ;  yet  would  prefer  to  be  wafted  along 
by  a  breeze,  sometimes  alighting  on  a  patch  of  green 


124  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  (_l843« 

grass,   then    gently    whirled   away   to   a   still   sunnier 

spot 0,  how  blest  should  I  be  were  there  nothing 

to  do !  Then  I  would  watch  every  inch  and  hair's 
bre-adth  of  the  progress  of  the  season  ;  and  not  a  leaf 
should  put  itself  forth,  in  the  vicinity  of  our  old  mansion, 
without  my  noting  it.  But  now,  with  the  burden  of  a 
continual  task  upon  me,  I  have  not  freedom  of  mind  to 
make  such  observations.  I  merely  see  what  is  going 
on  in  a  very  general  way.  The  snow,  which,  two  or 
three  weeks  ago,  covered  hill  and  valley,  is  now  dimin 
ished  to  one  or  two  solitary  specks  in  the  visible  land 
scape;  though  doubtless  there  are  still  heaps  of  it  in 
the  shady  places  in  the  woods.  There  have  been  no 
violent  rains  to  carry  it  off:  it  has  diminished  gradually, 
inch  by  inch,  and  day  after  day ;  and  I  observed,  along 
the  roadside,  that  the  green  blades  of  grass  had  some 
times  sprouted  on  the  very  edge  of  the  snow-drift  the 
moment  that  the  earth  was  uncovered. 

The  pastures  and  grass-fields  have  not  yet  a  general 
effect  of  green  ;  nor  have  they  that  cheerless  brown 
tint  which  they  wear  in  later  autumn,  when  vegetation 
has  entirely  ceased.  There  is  now  a  suspHon  of  verd 
ure, —  the  faint  shadow  of  it,  —  but  not  the  warm 
reality.  Sometimes,  in  a  happy  exposure,  —  there  is 
one  such  tract  across  the  river,  the  carefully  cultivated 
mowing-field,  in  front  of  an  old  red  homestead,  —  such 
patches  of  land  wear  a  beautiful  and  tender  green,  which 
no  other  season  will  equal;  because,  let  the  grass  be 
green  as  it  may  hereafter,  it  will  not  be  so  set  off  by 
surrounding  barrenness.  The  trees  in  our  orchard,  and 
elsewhere,  have  as  yet  no  leaves  ;  yet  to  the  most  care 
less  eye  they  appear  full  of  life  and  vegetable  blood.  Ti 


1643.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  125 

seems  as  if,  by  one  magic  touch,  they  might  instantane 
ously  put  forth  all  their  foliage,  and  the  wind,  which 
now  sighs  through  their  naked  branches,  might  all  at 
once  find  itself  impeded  by  innumerable  leaves.  This 
sudden  development  would  be  scarcely  more  wonderful 
than  the  gleam  of  verdure  which  often  brightens,  in  a 
moment,  as  it  were,  along  the  slope  of  a  bank  or  road 
side.  It  is  like  a  gleam  of  sunlight.  Just  now  it  was 
brown,  like  the  rest  of  the  scenery :  look  again,  and 
there  is  an  apparition  of  green  grass.  The  Spring,  no 
doubt,  comes  onward  with  fleeter  footsteps,  because 
Winter  has  lingered  so  long  that,  at  best,  she  can  hardly 
retrieve  half  the  allotted  term  of  her  reign. 

The  river,  this  season,  has  encroached  farther  on  the 
land  than  it  has  been  known  to  do  for  twenty  years 
past.  It  has  formed  along  its  course  a  succession  of 
lakes,  with  a  current  through  the  midst.  My  boat  has 
lain  at  the  bottom  of  the  orchard,  in  very  convenient 
proximity  to  the  house.  It  has  borne  me  over  stone 
fences ;  and,  a  few  days  ago,  Ellery  Charming  and  I 
passed  through  two  rails  into  the  great  northern  road, 
along  which  we  paddled  for  some  distance.  The  trees 
have  a  singular  appearance  in  the  midst  of  waters.  The 
curtailment  of  their  trunks  quite  destroys  the  proportions 
of  the  whole  tree ;  and  we  become  conscious  of  a  regu 
larity  and  propriety  in  the  forms  of  Nature,  by  the 
effect  of  this  abbreviation.  The  waters  are  now  subsid 
ing,  but  gradually.  Islands  become  annexed  to  the 
main-land,  and  other  islands  emerge  from  the  flood,  and 
will  soon,  likewise,  be  connected  with  the  continent. 
We  have  seen  on  a  small  scale  the  process  of  the  deluge, 
and  can  now  witness  that  of  the  reappearance  of  the 
eaith. 


126  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

Crows  visited  us  long  before  the  snow  was  off.  They 
seem  mostly  to  have  departed  now,  or  else  to  have  be 
taken  themselves  to  remote  depths  of  the  woods,  which 
they  haunt  all  summer  long.  Ducks  came  in  great 
numbers,  and  many  sportsmen  went  in  pursuit  of  them, 
along  the  river ;  but  they  also  have  disappeared.  Gulls 
come  up  from  seaward,  and  soar  high  overhead,  flapping 
their  broad  wings  in  the  upper  sunshine.  They  are 
among  the  most  picturesque  birds  that  I  am  acquainted 
with  ;  indeed,  quite  the  most  so,  because  the  manner  of 
their  flight  makes  them  almost  stationary  parts  of  the 
landscape.  The  imagination  has  time  to  rest  upon 
them ;  they  have  not  flitted  away  in  a  moment.  You 
go  up  among  the  clouds,  and  lay  hold  of  these  soaring 
gulls,  and  repose  with  them  upon  the  sustaining  atmos 
phere.  The  smaller  birds,  —  the  birds  that  build  their 
nests  in  our  trees,  and  sing  for  us  at  morning-red,  —  I 

will  not  describe But  I  must  mention  the  great 

companies  of  blackbirds  —  more  than  the  famous  "  four- 
and-twenty"  who  were  baked  in  a  pie  —  that  congre 
gate  on  the  tops  of  contiguous  trees,  and  vociferate  with 
all  the  clamor  of  a  turbulent  political  meeting.  Politics 
must  certainly  be  the  subject  of  such  a  tumultuous  de 
bate  ;  but  still  there  is  a  melody  in  each  individual  ut 
terance,  and  a  harmony  in  the  general  effect.  Mr. 
Thoreau  tells  me  that  these  noisy  assemblages  consist 
of  three  different  species  of  blackbirds  ;  but  I  forget  the 
other  two.  Robins  have  been  long  among  us,  and 
swallows  have  more  recently  arrived. 

April  26tk.  —  Here  is  another  misty  day,  muffling 
the  sun.  The  lilac  shrubs  under  my  study-window  are 


1843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 

almost  in  leaf.  In  two  or  three  days  more, 
forth  my  hand  and  pluck  a  green  bough.  These  lilacs 
appear  to  be  very  aged,  and  have  lost  the  luxuriant  fo 
liage  of  their  prime.  Old  age  has  a  singular  aspect  in 
lilacs,  rose-bushes,  and  other  ornamental  shrubs.  It 
seems  as  if  such  things,  as  they  grow  only  for  beauty, 
ought  to  flourish  in  immortal  youth,  or  at  least  to  die 
before  their  decrepitude.  They  are  trees  of  Paradise, 
and  therefore  not  naturally  subject  to  decay  ;  but  have 
'lost  their  birthright  by  being  transplanted  hither. 
There  is  a  kind  of  ludicrous  unfitness  in  the  idea  of  a 
venerable  rose-bush ;  and  there  is  something  analogous 
to  this  in  human  life.  Persons  who  can  only  be  grace 
ful  and  ornamental  —  who  can  give  the  world  nothing 
but  flowers  —  should  die  young,  and  never  be  seen  with 
gray  hairs  and  wrinkles,  any  more  than  the  flower- 
shrubs  with  mossy  bark  and  scanty  foliage,  like  the 
lilacs  under  my  window.  Not  that  beauty  is  not  wor 
thy  of  immortality.  Nothing  else,  indeed,  is  worthy  of 
it ;  and  thence,  perhaps,  the  sense  of  impropriety  when 
we  see  it  triumphed  over  by  time.  Apple-trees,  on  the 
other  hand,  grow  old  without  reproach.  Let  them  live 
as  long  as  they  may,  and  contort  themselves  in  what 
ever  fashion  they  please,  they  are  still  respectable,  even 
if  they  afford  us  only  an  apple  or  two  in  a  season,  or 
none  at  all.  Human  flower-shrubs,  if  they  will  grow 
old  on  earth,  should,  beside  their  lovely  blossoms,  bear 
some  kind  of  fruit  that  will  satisfy  earthly  appetites ; 
else  men  will  not  be  satisfied  that  the  moss  should 
gather  on  them. 

Winter  and  Spring  are  now  struggling  for  the  mas 
tery  in  my  study  ••  Hnd  I  yield  somewhat  to  each,  and 


128  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

wholly  10  neither.  The  window  is  open,  and  there  is  a 
fire  in  the  stove.  The  day  when  the  window  is  first 
thrown  open  should  be  an  epoch  in  the  year;  but  I  have 
forgotten  to  record  it.  Seventy  or  eighty  springs  have 
visited  this  old  house ;  and  sixty  of  them  found  old  Dr. 
Ripley  here,  —  not  always  old,  it  is  true,  but  gradually 
getting  wrinkles  and  gray  hairs,  and  looking  more  and 
more  the  picture  of  winter.  But  he  was  no  flower- 
shrub,  but  one  of  those  fruit-trees  or  timber-trees  thai 
acquire  a  grace  with  their  old  age.  Last  Spring  found 
this  house  solitary  for  the  first  time  since  it  was  built ; 
and  now  again  she  peeps  into  our  open  windows  and 

finds  new  faces  here 

It  is  remarkable  how  much  uncleanness  winter  brings 

with  it,  or  leaves  behind  it The  yard,  garden,  and 

avenue,  which  should  be  my  department,  require  a  great 
amount  of  labor.  The  avenue  is  strewed  with  withered 
leaves,  —  the  whole  crop,  apparently,  of  last  year,  — • 
some  of  which  are  now  raked  into  heaps  ;  and  we 
intend  to  make  a  bonfire  of  them There  are  quan 
tities  of  decayed  branches,  which  one  tempest  after 
another  has  flung  down,  black  and  rotten.  In  the 
garden  are  the  old  cabbages  which  we  did  not  think 
worth  gathering  last  autumn,  and  the  dry  bean-vines, 
and  the  withered  stalks  of  the  asparagus-bed ;  in  short, 
all  the  wrecks  of  the  departed  year,  —  its  mouldering 
relics,  its  dry  bones.  It  is  a  pity  that  the  world  cannot 
be  made  over  anew  every  spring.  Then,  in  the  yard, 
there  are  the  piles  of  firewood,  which  I  ought  to  have 
sawed  and  thrown  into  the  shed  long  since,  but  which 
will  cumber  the  earth,  I  fear,  till  June,  at  least.  Quan 
tities  of  chips  are  strewn  about,  and  on  removing  them 


1843.]  AMEKICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  129 

we  find  the  yellow  stalks  of  grass  sprouting  underneath. 
Nature  does  her  best  to  beautify  this  disarray.  The 
grass  springs  up  most  industriously,  especially  in  shel 
tered  and  sunny  angles  of  the  buildings,  or  round  the 
doorsteps,  —  a  locality  which  seems  particularly  favor 
able  to  its  growth ;  for  it  is  already  high  enough  to  bend 
over  and  wave  in  the  wind.  I  was  surprised  to  observe 
that  some  weeds  (especially  a  plant  that  stains  the  fin 
gers  with  its  yellow  juice)  had  lived,  and  retained  their 
freshness  and  sap  as  perfectly  as  in  summer,  through  all 
the  frosts  and  snows  of  last  winter.  I  saw  them,  the 
last  green  thing,  in  the  autumn ;  and  here  they  are 
again,  the  first  ID  the  Spring. 

Thursday,  April  27th.  —  I  took  a  walk  into  the  fields, 
and  round  our  opposite  hill,  yesterday  noon,  but  made 
no  very  remarkable  observation.  The  frogs  have  begun 
their  concerts,  though  not  as  yet  with  a  full  choir.  I 
found  no  violets  nor  anemones,  nor  anything  in  the  like 
ness  of  a  flower,  though  I  looked  carefully  along  the 
shelter  of  the  stone  walls,  and  in  all  spots  apparently 
propitious.  I  ascended  the  hill,  and  had  a  wide  pros 
pect  of  a  swollen  river,  extending  around  me  in  a  semi 
circle  of  three  or  four  miles,  and  rendering  the  view 
much  finer  than  in  summer,  had  there  only  been  foliage. 
It  seemed  like  the  formation  of  a  new  world;  for 
islands  were  everywhere  emerging,  and  capes  extending 
forth  into  the  flood;  and  these  tracts,  which  were  thus 
won  from  the  watery  empire,  were  among  the  greenest 
in  the  landscape.  The  moment  the  deluge  leaves  them, 
Nature  asserts  them  to  be  her  property  by  covering 
them  with  verdure;  or  perhaps  the  grass  had  been 
6*  i 


130  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

growing  under  the  water.  On  the  hill-top  where  I 
stood,  the  grass  had  scarcely  begun  to  sprout ;  and  I 
observed  that  even  those  places  which  looked  greenest 
in  the  distance  were  but  scantily  grass-covered  when  I 
actually  reached  them.  It  was  hope  that  painted  them 
so  bright. 

Last  evening  we  saw  a  bright  light  on  the  river, 
betokening  that  a  boat's  party  were  engaged  in  spear 
ing  fish.  It  looked  like  a  descended  star,  —  like  red 
Mars,  —  and,  as  the  water  was  perfectly  smooth,  its 
gleam  was  reflected  downward  into  the  depths.  It  is  a 
very  picturesque  sight.  In  the  deep  quiet  of  the  night 
I  suddenly  heard  the  light  and  lively  note  of  a  bird  from 
a  neighboring  tree,  —  a  real  song,  such  as  those  which 
greet  the  purple  dawn,  or  mingle  with  the  yellow  sun 
shine.  What  could  the  little  bird  mean  by  pouring  it 
forth  at  midnight  ?  Probably  the  note  gushed  out  from 
the  midst  of  a  dream,  in  which  he  fancied  himself  in 
Paradise  with  his  mate ;  and,  suddenly  awaking,  he 
found  he  was  on  a  cold,  leafless  bough,  with  a  New 
England  mist  penetrating  through  his  feathers.  That 
was  a  sad  exchange  of  imagination  for  reality ;  but  if  he 
found  his  mate  be-side  him,  all  was  well. 

This  is  another  misty  morning,  ungenial  in  aspect,  but 
kinder  than  it  looks  ;  for  it  paints  the  hills  and  valleys 
with  a  richer  brush  than  the  sunshine  could.  There  is 
more  verdure  now  than  when  I  looked  out  of  the 
window  an  hour  ago.  The  willow-tree  opposite  my 
study  window  is  ready  to  put  forth  its  leaves.  There 
are  some  objections  to  willows.  It  is  not  a  dry  and 
cleanly  tree;  it  impresses  me  with  an  association  of 
Bliminess ;  and  no  trees,  I  think,  are  perfectly  satisfac- 


1843  J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  131 

tory,  which  have  not  a  firm  and  hard  texture  of  trunk 
and  branches.  But  the  willow  is  almost  the  earliest  to 
put  forth  its  leaves,  and  the  last  to  scatter  them  on  the 
ground ;  and  during  the  whole  winter  its  yellow  twigs 
give  it  a  sunny  aspect,  which  is  not  without  a  cheering 
influence  in  a  proper  point  of  view.  Our  old  house 
would  lose  much  were  this  willow  to  be  cut  down,  with 
its  golden  crown  over  the  roof  in  winter,  and  its  heap  of 
summer  verdure.  The  present  Mr.  Ripley  planted  it, 
fifty  years  ago,  or  thereabouts. 

Friday,  June  2d.  —  Last  night  there  came  a  frost, 
which  has  done  great  damage  to  my  garden.  The 
beans  have  suffered  very  much,  although,  luckily,  not 
more  than  half  that  I  planted  have  come  up.  The 
squashes,  both  summer  and  winter,  appear  to  be  almost 
killed.  As  to  the  other  vegetables,  there  is  little  mis 
chief  done,  —  the  potatoes  not  being  yet  above  ground, 
except  two  or  three ;  and  the  peas  and  corn  are  of  a 
hardier  nature.  It  is  sad  that  Nature  will  so  sport  with 
us  poor  mortals,  inviting  us  with  sunny  smiles  to  confide 
in  her ;  and  then,  when  we  are  entirely  in  her  power, 
striking  us  to  the  heart.  Our  summer  commences  at 
the  latter  end  of  June,  and  terminates  somewhere  about 
the  first  of  August.  There  are  certainly  not  more  than 
six  weeks  of  the  whole  year  when  a  frost  may  be 
deemed  anything  remarkable. 

Friday,  June  23d.  —  Summer  has  come  at  last,  —  the 
longest  days,  with  blazing  sunshine,  and  fervid  heat. 
Yesterday  glowed  like  molten  brass.  Last  night  was 
the  most  uncomfortably  and  unsleepably  sultry  that  we 


132  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [16-13. 

have  experienced  since  our  residence  in  Concord ;  and 
to-day  it  scorches  again.  I  have  a  sort  of  enjoyment  in 
these  seven  times  heated  furnaces  of  midsummer,  even 
though  they  make  me  droop  like  a  thirsty  plant.  The 
sunshine  can  scarcely  be  too  burning  for  my  taste ;  but 
I  am  no  enemy  to  summer  showers.  Co.uld  I  only  have 
the  freedom  to  be  perfectly  idle  now,  —  no  duty  to  fulfil, 
no  mental  or  physical  labor  to  perform,  —  I  should  be 
as  happy  as  a  squash,  and  much  in  the  same  mode  ;  but 
the  necessity  of  keeping  my  brain  at  work  eats  into  my 
comfort,  as  the  squash-bugs  do  into  the  heart  of  the 
vines.  I  keep  myself  uneasy  and  produce  little,  and 
almost  nothing  that  is  worth  producing. 

The  garden  looks  well  now  :  the  potatoes  flourish ; 
the  early  corn  waves  in  the  wind ;  the  squashes,  both 
for  summer  and  winter  use,  are  more  forward,  I 
suspect,  than  those  of  any  of  my  neighbors.  I  am 
forced,  however,  to  carry  on  a  continual  warfare  with 
the  squash-bugs,  who,  were  I  to  let  them  alone  for  a 
day,  would  perhaps  quite  destroy  the  prospects  of  the 
whole  summer.  It  is  impossible  not  to  feel  angry  with 
these  unconscionable  insects,  who  scruple  not  to  do  such 
excessive  mischief  to  me,  with  only  the  profit  of  a  meal 
or  two  to  themselves.  For  their  own  sakes  they  ought 
at  least  to  wait  till  the  squashes  are  better  grown.  Why 
is  it,  I  wonder,  that  Nature  has  provided  such  a  host  of 
enemies  for  every  useful  esculent,  while  the  weeds  are 
suffered  to  grow  unmolested,  and  are  provided  with  such 
tenacity  of  life,  and  such  methods  of  propagation,  that 
the  gardener  must  maintain  a  continual  struggle  or  they 
will  hopelessly  overwhelm  him  ?  What  hidden  virtue 
is  in  these  things,  that  it  is  granted  them  to  sow  them 


1843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  133 

selves  with  the  wind,  and  to  grapple  the  earth  with  this 
immitigable  stubbornness,  and  to  flourish  in  spite  of 
obstacles,  and  never  to  suffer  blight  beneath  any  sun  or 
shade,  but  always  to  mock  their  enemies  with  the  same 
wicked  luxuriance  ?  It  is  truly  a  mystery,  and  also  a 
symbol.  There  is  a  sort  of  sacredness  about  them. 
Perhaps,  if  we  could  penetrate  Nature's  secrets,  we 
should  find  that  what  we  call  weeds  are  more  essential 
to  the  well-being  of  the  world  than  the  most  precious 
fruit  or  grain.  This  may  be  doubted,  however,  for  there 
is  an  unmistakable  analogy  between  these  wicked  weeds 
and  the  bad  habits  and  sinful  propensities  which  have 
overrun  the  moral  world  ;  and  we  may  as  well  imagine 
that  there  is  good  in  one  as  in  the  other. 

Our  peas  are  in  such  forwardness  that  I  should  not 
wonder  if  we  had  some  of  them  on  the  table  within  a 
week.  The  beans  have  come  up  ill,  and  I  planted  a 
fresh  supply  only  the  day  before  yesterday.  We  have 
watermelons  in  good  advancement,  and  muskmelons 
also  within  three  or  four  days.  I  set  out  some  tomatoes 
last  night,  also  some  capers.  It  is  my  purpose  to  plant 
some  more  corn  at  the  end  of  the  month,  or  sooner. 
There  ought  to  be  a  record  of  the  flower-garden,  and  of 
the  procession  of  the  wild-flowers,  as  minute,  at  least,  as 
of  the  kitchen  vegetables  and  pot-herbs.  Above  all,  the 
noting  of  the  appearance  of  the  first  roses  should  not  be 
omitted ;  nor  of  the  Arethusa,  one  of  the  delicatest, 
gracefullest,  and  in  every  manner  sweetest  of  the  whole 
race  of  flowers.  For  a  fortnight  past  I  have  found  it  in 
the  swampy  meadows,  growing  up  to  its  chin  in  heaps 
of  wet  moss.  Its  hue  is  a  delicate  pink,  of  various 
depths  of  shade,  and  somewhat  in  the  form  of  n,  Grecian 


134  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [184& 

helmet.  To  describe  it  is  a  feat  beyond  my  power.  Al* 
so  the  visit  of  two  friends,  who  may  fitly  enough  be 
mentioned  among  flowers,  ought  to  have  been  described. 

Mrs.    F.  S and   Miss    A.    S .     Also    I    have 

neglected  to  mention  the  birth  of  a  little  white  dove. 

o 

I  never  observed,  until  the  present  season,  how  long 
and  late  the  twilight  lingers  in  these  longest  days.  The 
orange  hue  of  the  western  horizon  remains  till  ten 
o'clock,  at  least,  and  how  much  later  I  am  unable  to 
say.  The  night  before  last,  I  could  distinguish  letters 
by  this  lingering  gleam  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock. 
The  dawn,  I  suppose,  shows  itself  as  early  as  two  o'clock, 
so  that  the  absolute  dominion  of  night  has  dwindled  to 
almost  nothing.  There  seems  to  be  also  a  diminished 
necessity,  or,  at  all  events,  a  much  less  possibility,  of 
»leep  than  at  other  periods  of  the  year.  I  get  scarcely 
any  sound  repose  just  now.  It  is  summer,  and  not  win 
ter,  that  steals  away  mortal  life.  Well,  we  get  the 
value  of  what  is  taken  from  us. 

Saturday,  July  1st.  —  We  had  our  first  dish  of  green 
peas  (a  very  small  one)  yesterday.  Every  day  for  the 
last  week  has  been  tremendously  hot ;  and  our  garden 
flourishes  like  Eden  itself,  only  Adam  could  hardly  have 
been  doomed  to  contend  with  such  a  ferocious  banditti 
of  weeds. 

Sunday,  July  3th.  —  I  know  not  what  to  say,  and  yet 
cannot  be  satisfied  without  marking  with  a  word  or  two 

this  anniversary But  life  now  swells  and  heaves 

beneath  me  like  a  brim-full  ocean  ;  and  the  endeavor  to 
comprise  any  portion  of  it  in  words  is  like  trying  to  dip 


1843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  135 

up  the  ocean  in  a  goblet God  bless  and  keep  us  !  for 

there  is  something  more  awful  in  happiness  than  in  sor 
row,  —  the  Ititter  being  earthly  and  finite,  the  former 
composed  of  the  substance  and  texture  of  eternity,  so 
that  spirits  still  embodied  may  well  tremble  at  it. 

July  18^.  —  This  morning  I  gathered  our  first  sum 
mer-squashes.  We  should  have  had  them  some  days 
earlier,  but  for  the  loss  of  two  of  the  vines,  either  by  a 
disease  of  the  roots  or  by  those  infernal  bugs.  We  have 
had  turnips  and  carrots  several  times.  Currants  are 
now  ripe,  and  we  are  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  cherries, 
which  turn  out  much  more  delectable  than  I  anticipated. 
George  Hillard  and  Mrs.  Hillard  paid  us  a  visit  on 
Saturday  last.  On  Monday  afternoon  he  left  us,  and 
Mrs.  Hillard  still  remains  here. 

Friday,  July  28M.  —  We  had  green  corn  for  dinner 
yesterday,  and  shall  have  some  more  to-day,  not  quite 
full  grown,  but  sufficiently  so  to  be  palatable.  There 
has  been  no  rain,  except  one  moderate  shower,  for  many 
weeks  ;  and  the  earth  appears  to  be  wasting  away  in  a 
slow  fever.  This  weather,  I  think,  affects  the  spirits 
very  unfavorably.  There  is  an  irksomeness,  a  restless 
ness,  a  pervading  dissatisfaction,  together  with  an  abso 
lute  incapacity  to  bend  the  mind  to  any  serious  effort. 
With  me,  as  regards  literary  production,  the  summer 
has  been  unprofitable  ;  and  I  only  hope  that  my  forces 
are  recruiting  themselves  for  the  autumn  and  winter. 
For  the  future,  I  shall  endeavor  to  be  so  diligent  nine 
months  of  the  year  that  I  may  allow  myself  a  full  and 
free  vacation  of  the  other  three. 


136  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843. 

Monday,  July  3lst.  —  We  had  our  first  cucumber  yes 
terday.  There  were  symptoms  of  rain  on  Saturday, 
and  the  weather  has  since  been  as  moist  as  the  thirstiest 
soul  could  desire. 

Wednesday,  September  13th.  —  There  was  a  frost  the 
night  before  last,  according  to  George  Prescott;  but  no 
effects  of  it  were  visible  in  our  garden.  Last  night, 
however,  there  was  another,  which  has  nipped  the  leaves 
of  the  winter-squashes  and  cucumbers,  but  seems  to  have 
done  no  other  damage.  This  is  a  beautiful  morning, 
and  promises  to  be  one  of  those  heavenly  days  that  ren 
der  autumn,  after  all,  the  most  delightful  season  of  the 
year.  We  mean  to  make  a  voyage  on  the  river  this 
afternoon. 

Sunday,  September  23d.  —  I  have  gathered  the  two 
last  of  our  summer-squashes  to-day.  They  have  lasted 
ever  since  the  18th  of  July,  and  have  numbered  fifty- 
eight  edible  ones,  of  excellent  quality.  Last  Wednes 
day,  I  think,  I  harvested  our  winter  squashes,  sixty- 
three  in  number,  and  mostly  of  fine  size.  Our  last  series 
of  green  corn,  planted  about  the  1st  of  July,  was  good 
for  eating  two  or  three  days  ago.  We  still  have  beans  ; 
and  our  tomatoes,  though  backward,  supply  us  with  a 
dish  every  day  or  two.  My  potato-crop  promises  well ; 
and,  on  the  whole,  my  first  independent  experiment  of 
agriculture  is  quite  a  successful  one. 

This  is  a  glorious  day,  —  bright,  very  warm,  yet  with 
an  unspeakable  gentleness  both  in  its  warmth  and  bright 
ness.  On  such  days  it  is  impossible  not  to  love  Nature, 
for  she  evidently  loves  us.  At  other  seasons  she  does 


1843.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  137 

not  give  me  this  impression,  or  only  at  very  rare  inter 
vals  ;  but  in  these  happy,  autumnal  days,  when  she  has 
perfected  the  harvests,  and  accomplished  every  necessary 
thing  that  she  had  to  do,  she  overflows  with  a  blessed 
superfluity  of  love.  It  is  good  to  be  alive  now.  Thank 
God  for  breath,  —  yes,  for  mere  breath !  when  it  is  made 
up  of  such  a  heavenly  breeze  as  this.  It  comes  to  the 
cheek  with  a  real  kiss ;  it  would  linger  fondly  around 
us,  if  it  might ;  but,  since  it  must  be  gone,  it  caresses  us 
with  its  whole  kindly  heart,  and  passes  onward,  to  caress 
likewise  the  next  thing  that  it  meets.  There  is  a  per 
vading  blessing  diffused  over  all  the  world.  I  look  out 
of  the  window  and  think,  "  O  perfect  day  !  0  beautiful 
world  !  O  good  God  !  "  And  such  a  day  is  the  prom 
ise  of  a  blissful  eternity.  Our  Creator  would  never 
have  made  such  weather,  and  given  us  the  deep  heart 
to  enjoy  it,  above  and  beyond  all  thought,  if  He  had  not 
meant  us  to  be  immortal.  It  opens  the  gates  of  heaven, 
and  gives  us  glimpses  far  inward. 

Bless  me  !  this  flight  has  carried  me  a  great  way ;  so 
now  let  me  come  back  to  our  old  abbey.  Our  orchard 
is  fast  ripening  ;  and  the  apples  and  great,  thumping 
pears  strew  the  grass  in  such  abundance  that  it  becomes 
almost  a  trouble  —  though  a  pleasant  one  —  to  gather 
them.  This  happy  breeze,  too,  shakes  them  down,  as 
if  it  flung  fruit  to  us  out  of  the  sky  ;  and  often,  when 
the  air  is  perfectly  still,  I  hear  the  quiet  fall  of  a  great 
apple.  "Well,  we  are  rich  in  blessings,  though  poor  in 
money 

.  Friday,  October  Sth.  —  Yesterday  afternoon  I  took  a 
solitary  walk  to  Walden  Pond.     It  was  a  cool,  windy 


138  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843 

day,  with  heavy  clouds  rolling  and  tumbling  about  the 
sky,  but  still  a  prevalence  of  genial  autumn  sunshine. 
The  fields  are  still  green,  and  the  great  masses  of  the 
woods  have  not  yet  assumed  their  many-colored  gar 
ments;  but  here  and  there  are  solitary  oaks  of  deep, 
substantial  red,  or  maples  of  a  more  brilliant  hue,  or 
chestnuts  either  yellow  or  of  a  tenderer  green  than  in 
summer.  Some  trees  seem  to  return  to  their  hue  of 
May  or  early  June  before  they  put  on  the  brighter 
autumnal  tints.  In  some  places,  along  the  borders  of 
low  and  moist  land,  a  whole  range  of  trees  were  clothed 
in  the  perfect  gorgeousness  of  autumn,  of  all  shades  of 
brilliant  color,  looking  like  the  palette  on  which  Nature 
was  arranging  the  tints  wherewith  to  paint  a  picture. 
These  hues  appeared  to  be  thrown  together  without 
design ;  and  yet  there  was  perfect  harmony  among 
them,  and  a  softness  and  a  delicacy  made  up  of  a  thou 
sand  different  brightnesses.  There  is  not,  I  think,  so 
much  contrast  among  these  colors  as  might  at  first  ap 
pear.  The  more  you  consider  them,  the  more  they 
seem  to  have  one  element  among  them  all,  which  is  the 
reason  that  the  most  brilliant  display  of  them  soothes 
the  observer,  instead  of  exciting  him.  And  I  know  not 
whether  it  be  more  a  moral  effect  or  a  physical  one, 
operating  merely  on  the  eye  ;  but  it  is  a  pensive  gayety, 
which  causes  a  sigh  often,  and  nevei  a  smile.  We 
never  fancy,  for  instance,  that  these  gayly-clad  trees 
might  be  changed  into  young  damsels  in  holiday  attire, 
and  betake  themselves  to  dancing  on  the  plain.  If  they 
were  to  undergo  such  a  transformation,  they  would 
surely  arrange  themselves  in  funeral  procession,  and  go 
sadly  along,  with  their  purple  and  scarlet  and  golden 


1843.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  ]  39 

garments  trailing  over  the  withering  grass.  When  the 
sunshine  falls  upon  them,  they  seem  to  smile  ;  but  it  is 
as  if  they  were  heart-broken.  But  it  is  in  vain  for  me 
to  attempt  to  describe  these  autumnal  brilliancies,  or  to 
convey  the  impression  which  they  make  on  me.  I  have 
tried  a  thousand  times,  and  always  without  the  slightest 
self-satisfaction.  Fortunately  there  is  no  need  of  such 
a  record,  for  Nature  renews  the  picture  year  after  year ; 
and  even  when  we  shall  have  passed  away  from  the 
world,  we  can  spiritually  create  these  scenes,  so  that  we 
may  dispense  with  all  efforts  to  put  them  into  words. 

Walden  Pond  was  clear  and  beautiful  as  usual.  It 
tempted  me  to  bathe ;  and,  though"  the  water  was  thrill- 
ingly  cold,  it  was  like  the  thrill  of  a  happy  death. 
Never  was  there  such  transparent  water  as  this.  I 
threw  sticks  into  it,  and  saw  them  float  suspended  on  an 
almost  invisible  medium.  It  seemed  as  if  the  pure  air 
were  beneath  them,  as  well  as  above.  It  is  fit  for  bap 
tisms  ;  but  one  would  not  wish  it  to  be  polluted  by 
having  sins  washed  into  it.  None  but  angels  should 
bathe  in  it;  but  blessed  babies  might  be  dipped  into 
its  bosom. 

In  a  small  and  secluded  dell  that  opens  upon  the  most 
beautiful  cove  of  the  whole  lake,  there  is  a  little  hamlet 
of  huts  or  shanties,  inhabited  by  the  Irish  people  who 
are  at  work  upon  the  railroad.  There  are  three  or  four 
of  these  habitations,  the  very  rudest,  I  should  imagine, 
that  civilized  men  ever  made  for  themselves,  —  con 
structed  of  rough  boards,  with  the  protruding  ends. 
Against  some  of  them  the  earth  is  heaped  up  to  the 
roof,  or  nearly  so ;  and  when  the  grass  has  had  time  to 
sprout  upon  them,  they  will  look  like  small  natural  hil- 


140  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1843* 

locks,  or  a  species  of  ant-hills,  —  something  in  which 
Nature  has  a  larger  share  than  man.  These  huts  are 
placed  beneath  the  trees,  oaka;  walnuts,  and  white-pines, 
wherever  the  trunks  give  them  space  to  stand  ;  and  by 
thus  adapting  themselves  to  natural  interstices,  instead 
of  making  new  ones,  they  do  not  break  or  disturb  the 
solitude  and  seclusion  of  the  place.  Voices  are  heard, 
and  the  shouts  and  laughter  of  children,  who  play  about 
like  the  sunbeams  that  come  down  through  the  branches. 
Women  are  washing  in  open  spaces,  and  long  lines  of 
whitened  clothes  are  extended  from  tree  to  tree,  flutter 
ing  and  gambolling  in  the  breeze.  A  pig,  in  a  sty  even 
more  extemporary  than  the  shanties,  is  grunting  and 
poking  his  snout  through  the  clefts  of  his  habitation. 
The  household  pots  and  kettles  are  seen  at  the  doors ; 
and  a  glance  within  shows  the  rough  benches  that  serve 
for  chairs,  and  the  bed  upon  the  floor.  The  visitor's 
nose  takes  note  of  the  fragrance  of  a  pipe.  And  yet, 
with  all  these  homely  items,  the  repose  and  sanctity  of 
the  old  wood  do  not  seem  to  be  destroyed  or  profaned. 
It  overshadows  these  poor  people,  and  assimilates  them 
somehow  or  other  to  the  character  of  its  natural  inhab 
itants.  Their  presence  did  not  shock  me  any  more  than 
if  I  had  merely  discovered  a  squirrel's  nest  in  a  tree. 
To  be  sure,  it  is  a  torment  to  see  the  great,  high,  ugly 
embankment  of  the  railroad,  which  is  here  thrusting  it 
self  into  the  lake,  or  along  its  margin,  in  close  vicinity 
to  this  picturesque  little  hamlet.  I  have  seldom  seen 
anything  more  beautiful  than  the  cove  on  the  border  of 
which  the  huts  are  situated  ;  and  the  more  I  looked,  the 
lovelier  it  grew.  The  trees  overshadowed  it  deeply; 
but  on  one  side  there  was  some  brilliant  shrubbery 


1844.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  141 

which  seemed  to  light  up  the  whole  picture  wivh  the 
effect  of  a  sweet  and  melancholy  smile.  I  felt  as  if 
spirits  were  there,  —  or  as  if  these  shrubs  had  a  spirit 
ual  life.  In  short,  the  impression  was  indefinable  ;  and, 
after  gazing  and  musing  a  good  while,  I  retraced  my 
steps  through  the  Irish  hamlet,  and  plodded  on  along  a 
wood-path. 

According  to  my  invariable  custom,  I  mistook  my 
way,  and,  emerging  upon  the  road,  I  turned  my  back 
instead  of  my  face  towards  Concord,  and  walked  on 
very  diligently  till  a  guide-board  informed  me  of  my 
mistake.  I  then  turned  about,  and  was  shortly  over 
taken  by  an  old  yeoman  in  a  chaise,  who  kindly  offered 
me  a  drive,  and  soon  set  me  down  in  the  village 


[EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS.] 

May  27tk,  1844.  — My  cook  fills  his  office  admira 
bly.  He  prepared  what  I  must  acknowledge  to  be  the 
best  dish  of  fried  fish  and  potatoes  for  dinner  to-day  that  I 
ever  tasted  in  this  house.  I  scarcely  recognized  the  fish 
of  our  own  river.  I  make  him  get  all  the  dinners,  while 
I  confine  myself  to  the  much  lighter  task  of  breakfast 
and  tea.  He  also  takes  his  turn  in  washing  the  dishes. 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner  at  Longfellow's,  and 
I  liked  Mrs.  Longfellow  very  much.  The  dinner  was 

late  and  we  sat  long ;  so  that  C and  I  did  not  get 

to  Concord  till  half  past  nine  o'clock,  and  truly  the  old 
Manse  seemed  somewhat  dark  and  desolate.  The  next 
morning  George  Prescott  came  with  Una's  Lion,  who 
greeted  me  very  affectionately,  but  whined  and  moaned 


142  AMERICAN    KOTE-BOOKS.  [1814. 

as  if  lie  missed  somebody  who  should  have  been  here. 
I  am  not  quite  so  strict  as  I  should  be  in  keeping  him 
out  of  the  house  ;  but  I  commiserate  him  and  myself, 

for  are  we  not  both  of  us  bereaved?     C ,  whom  I 

can  no  more  keep  from  smoking  than  I  could  the  kitchen 
chimney,  has  just  come  into  the  study  with  a  cigar,  which 
might  perfume  this  letter  and  make  you  think  it  came 
from  my  own  enormity,  so  I  may  as  well  stop  here. 

May  29th.  —  C is  leaving  me,  to  my  unspeakable 

relief;  for  he  has  had  a  bad  cold,  which  caused  him  to 
be  much  more  troublesome  and  less  amusing  than  might 
otherwise  have  been  the  case. 

May  3lst. — .  ...  I  get  along  admirably,  and 
am  at  this  moment  superintending  the  corned  beef,  which 
has  been  on  the  fire,  as  it  appears  to  me,  ever  since  the 
beginning  of  time,  and  shows  no  symptom  of  being  done 
before  the  crack  of  doom.  Mrs.  Hale  says  it  must  boil 
till  it  becomes  tender  ;  and  so  it  shall,  if  I  can  find  wood 
to  keep  the  fire  a-going. 

Meantime,  I  keep  my  station  in  the  dining-room,  and 
read  or  write  as  composedly  as  in  my  own  study.  Just 
now,  there  came  a  very  important  rap  at  the  front  door, 
and  I  threw  down  a  smoked  herring  which  I  had  begun 
to  eat,  as  there  is  no  hope  of  the  corned  beef  to-day,  and 
went  to  admit  the  visitor.  Who  should  it  be  but  Ben 

B ,  with  a  very  peculiar  and  mysterious  grin  upon 

his  face !  He  put  into  my  hand  a  missive  directed  to 
"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawthorne."  It  contained  a  little  bit 

of  card,  signifying  that  Dr.  L.  F and  Miss  C.  B 

receive  their  friends  Thursday  eve,  June  6.  I  am 


1844.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  143 

afraid  I  shall  be  too  busy  washing  my  dishes  to  pay 
many  visits.  The  washing  of  dishes  does  seem  to  me 
the  most  absurd  and  unsatisfactory  business  that  I  ever 
undertook.  If,  when  once  washed,  they  would  remain 
clean  for  ever  and  ever  (which  they  ought  in  all  reason 
to  do,  considering  how  much  trouble  it  is),  there  would 
be  less  occasion  to  grumble ;  but  no  sooner  is  it  done, 
than  it  requires  to  be  done  again.  On  the  whole,  I  have 
come  to  the  resolution  not  to  use  more  than  one  dish  at 
each  meal.  However,  I  moralize  deeply  on  this  and 
other  matters,  and  have  discovered  that  all  the  trouble 
and  affliction  in  the  world  come  from  the  necessity  of 
cleansing  away  our  earthly  stains. 

I  ate  the  last  morsel  of  bread  yesterday,  and  congrat 
ulate  myself  on  being  now  reduced  to  the  fag-end  of 
necessity.  Nothing  worse  can  happen,  according  to  or 
dinary  modes  of  thinking,  than  to  want  bread  ;  but,  like 
most  afflictions,  it  is  more  in  prospect  than  reality.  I 
found  one  cracker  in  the  tureen,  and  exulted  over  it  as 
if  it  had  been  so  much  gold.  However,  I  have  sent  a 

petition  to  Mrs.  P stating  my  destitute  condition,  and 

imploring  her  succor ;  and,  till  it  arrive,  I  shall  keep 
myself  alive  on  herrings  and  apples,  together  with  part 
of  a  pint  of  milk,  which  I  share  with  Leo.  He  is  my 
great  trouble  now,  though  an  excellent  companion  too. 
But  it  is  not  easy  to  find  food  for  him,  unless  I  give 
him  what  is  fit  for  Christians,  —  though,  for  that  mat 
er,  he  appears  to  be  as  good  a  Christian  as  most  lay 
men,  or  even  as  some  of  the  clergy.  I  fried  some  pouts 
and  eels,  yesterday,  on  purpose  for  him,  for  he  does  not 
like  raw  fiph.  They  were  very  good,  but  I  should  hard 
ly  have  taken  the  trouble  on  my  own  account. 


144  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1844. 

George  P has  just  come  to  say  that  Mrs.  P 

has  no  bread  at  present,  and  is  gone  away  this  afternoon, 
but  that  she  will  send  me  some  to-morrow.  I  mean  to 

have  a  regular  supply  from  the  same  source You 

cannot  imagine  how  much  the  presence  of  Leo  relieves 
the  feeling  of  perfect  loneliness.  He  insists  upon  being 
in  the  room  with  me  all  the  time,  except  at  night,  when 
he  sleeps  in  the  shed,  and  I  do  not  find  myself  severe 
enough  to  drive  him  out.  He  accompanies  me  likewise 
in  aU  my  walks  to  the  village  and  elsewhere ;  and,  in 
short,  keeps  at  my  heels  all  the  time,  except  when  I  go 
down  cellar.  Then  he  stands  at  the  head  of  the  stairs 
and  howls,  as  if  he  never  expected  to  see  me  again. 
He  is  evidently  impressed  with  the  present  solitude  of 
our  old  abbey,  both  on  his  own  account  and  mine,  and 
feels  that  he  may  assume  a  greater  degree  of  intimacy 
than  would  be  otherwise  allowable.  He  will  be  easily 
brought  within  the  old  regulations  after  your  return. 

P.  S.  3  o'clock.  —  The  beef  is  done  ! ! ! 

Concord.  The  old  Manse.  April  ^d. —  .  .  .  .  Every 
thing  goes  on  well  with  me.  At  the  time  of  writing 
my  last  letter,  I  was  without  bread.  Well,  just  at  sup 
per-time  came  Mrs.  B with  a  large  covered  dish, 

which  proved  to  contain  a  quantity  of  specially  gcod 
flapjacks,  piping  hot,  prepared,  I  suppose,  by  the  fair 

hands  of  Miss  Martha  or  Miss  Abby,  for  Mrs.  P • 

was  not  at  home.  They  served  me  both  for  supper 
and  breakfast;  and  I  thanked  Providence  and  the 
young  ladies,  and  compared  myself  to  the  prophet  fed  by 
ravens, — though  the  simile  does  rather  more  than  jus 
tice  to  myself,  and  not  enough  to  the  generous  donors 


1844. J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  145 

of  the  flapjacks.     The  next  morning,  Mrs.  P herself 

brought  two  big  loaves  of  bread,  which  will  last  me  a 
week,  unless  I  have  some  guests  to  provide  for.  I  have 
likewise  found  a  hoard  of  crackers  in  one  of  the  covered 
dishes ;  so  that  the  old  castle  is  sufficiently  provisioned 
to  stand  a  long  siege.  The  corned  beef  is  exquisitely 
done,  and  as  tender  as  a  young  lady's  heart,  all  owing 
to  my  skilful  cookery;  for  I  consulted  Mrs.  Hale  at 
every  step,  and  precisely  followed  her  directions.  To 
say  the  truth,  I  look  upon  it  as  such  a  masterpiece  in 
its  way,  that  it  seems  irreverential  to  eat  it.  Things  on 
which  so  much  thought  and  labor  are  bestowed  should 

surely  be  immortal Leo  and  I  attended  divine 

services  this  morning  in  a  temple  not  made  with  hands. 
We  went  to  the  farthest  extremity  of  Peter's  path,  and 
there  lay  together  under  an  oak,  on  the  verge  of  the 
broad  meadow. 

Salem,  April  14th,  1844.  — .  ...  I  went  to  George 
Hillard's  office,  and  he  spoke  with  immitigable  resolution 
of  the  necessity  of  my  going  to  dine  with  Longfellow 
before  returning  to  Concord ;  but  I  have  an  almost 
miraculous  power  of  escaping  from  necessities  of  this 
kind.  Destiny  itself  has  often  been  worsted  in  the  at 
tempt  to  get  me  out  to  dinner.  Possibly,  however,  I  may 
go.  Afterwards  I  called  on  Colonel  Hall,  who  held  me 
long  in  talk  about  politics  and  other  sweetmeats.  Then 
I  stepped  into  a  book  auction,  not  to  buy,  but  merely 
to  observe,  and,  after  a  few  moments,  who  should  come 
in,  with  a  smile  as  sweet  as  sugar  (though  savoring 
rather  of  molasses),  but,  to  my  horror  and  petrifaction, 
!  I  anticipated  a  great  deal  of  bore  and 


146  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 

botheration;  but,  through  Heaven's  mercy,  he  merely 
spoke  a  few  words,  and  left  me.  This  is  so  unlike  hi* 
deportment  in  times  past,  that  I  suspect  "  The  Celestial 
Kailroad  "  must  have  given  him  a  pique ;  and,  if  so,  I 
shall  feei  as  if  Providence  had  sufficiently  rewarded  me 
for  that  pious  labor. 

In  the  course  of  the  forenoon  I  encountered  Mr. 
Howes  in  the  street.  He  looked  most  exceedingly  de 
pressed,  and,  pressing  my  hand  with  peculiar  emphasis, 
said  that  he  was  in  great  affliction,  having  just  heard  of 
his  son  George's  death  in  Cuba.  He  seemed  encom 
passed  and  overwhelmed  by  this  misfortune,  and  walks 
the  street  as  in  a  heavy  cloud  of  his  own  grief,  forth  from 
which  he  extended  his  hand  to  meet  my  grasp.  I  ex 
pressed  my  sympathy,  which  I  told  him  I  was  now  the 
more  capable  of  feeling  in  a  father's  suffering,  as  being 
myself  the  father  of  a  little  girl,  —  and,  indeed,  the  being 
a  parent  does  give  one  the  freedom  of  a  wider  range  of 
sorrow  as  well  as  of  happiness.  He  again  pressed  my 
hand,  and  left  me 

When  I  got  to  Salem,  there  was  great  joy,  as  you 

may  suppose Mother  hinted  an  apprehension 

that  poor  baby  would  be  spoilt,  whereupon  I  irreverently 
observed  that,  having  spoiled  her  own  three  children,  it 
was  natural  for  her  to  suppose  that  all  other  parents 
would  do  the  same;  when  she  averred  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  spoil  such  children  as  E and  I,  because 

she  had  never  been  able  to  do  anything  with  us I 

could  hardly  convince  them  that  Una  had  begun  to 
smile  so  soon.  It  surprised  my  mother,  though  her  own 
children  appear  to  have  been  bright  specimens  of  baby 
hood.  E could  walk  and  talk  at  nine  months  old. 


1844.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  147 

I  do  not  understand  that  I  was  quite  such  a  miracle  of 
precocity,  but  should  think  it  not  impossible,  inasmuch 
as  precocious  boys  are  said  to  make  stupid  men. 

Concord,  June  Qth.  — ....  Mr.  F arrived  yes 
terday,  and  appeared  to  be  in  most  excellent  health,  and 
as  happy  as  the  sunshine.  About  the  first  thing  he  did 
was  to  wash  the  dishes ;  and  he  is  really  indefatigable 
in  the  kitchen,  so  that  I  am  quite  a  gentleman  of  leisure. 
Previous  to  his  arrival,  I  had  kindled  no  fire  for  four 
entire  days,  and  had  lived  all  that  time  on  the  corned 
beef,  except  one  day,  when  Ellery  and  I  went  down 
the  river  on  a  fishing  excursion.  Yesterday,  we  boiled 
some  lamb,  which  we  shall  have  cold  for  dinner  to-day. 

This  morning,  Mr.  F fried  a  sumptuous  dish  of 

eels  for  breakfast.  Mrs.  P continues  to  be  the  in 
strument  of  Providence,  and  yesterday  sent  us  a  very 
nice  plum-pudding. 

I  have  told  Mr.  F that  I  shall  be  engaged  in  the 

forenoons,  and  he  is  to  manage  his  own  occupations  and 
amusements  during  that  time 

Leo,  I  regret  to  say,  has  fallen  under  suspicion  of  a 
very  great  crime,  —  nothing  less  than  murder, — a  fowl 
crime  it  may  well  be  called,  for  it  is  the  slaughter  of 
one  of  Mr.  Hayward's  hens.  He  has  been  seen  to 
chase  the  hens,  several  times,  and  the  other  day  one  of 
them  was  found  dead.  Possibly  he  may  be  innocent, 
and,  as  there  is  nothing  but  circumstantial  evidence,  it 
must  be  left  with  his  own  conscience. 

Meantime,  Mr.  Hayward,  or  somebody  else,  seems  to 
have  given  him  such  a  whipping  that  he  \s  absolutely 
stiff,  and  walks  about  like  a  rheumatic  old  gentleman. 


148  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1844. 

I  am  afraid,  too,  that  he  is  an  incorrigible  thief.  Ellery 
says  he  has  seen  him  coming  up  tlje  avenue  with  a 
calfs  whole  head  in  his  mouth.  How  he  came  by  it 
is  best  known  to  Leo  himself.  If  he  were  a  dog  of 
fair  character,  it  would  be  no  more  than  charity  to  con 
clude  that  he  had  either  bought  it,  or  had  it  given  to 
him  ;  but  with  the  other  charges  against  him,  it  inclines 
me  to  great  distrust  of  his  moral  principles.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  he  managed  his  stock  of  provisions  very  thriftily, 
—  burying  it  in  the  earth,  and  eating  a  portion  of  it 
whenever  he  felt  an  appetite.  If  he  insists  upon  living 
by  highway  robbery,  it  would  be  well  to  make  him 
share  his  booty  with  us 

June  10^.  — ....  Mr.  F is  in  perfect  health, 

and  absolutely  in  the  seventh  heaven,  and  he  talks 
and  talks  and  talks  and  talks ;  and  I  listen  and  listen 
and  listen  with  a  patience  for  which,  in  spite  of  all 
my  sins,  I  firmly  expect  to  be  admitted  to  the  man 
sions  of  the  blessed.  And  there  is  really  a  content 
ment  in  being  able  to  make  this  poor,  world-worn, 
hopeless,  half-crazy  man  so  entirely  comfortable  as  he 
seems  to  be  here.  He  is  an  admirable  cook.  We 
had  some  roast  veal  and  a  baked  rice-pudding  on 
Sunday,  really  a  fine  dinner,  and  cooked  in  better  style 
than  Mary  can  equal ;  and  George  Curtis  came  to  dine 
with  us.  Like  all  male  cooks,  he  is  rather  expensive, 
and  has  a  tendency  to  the  consumption  of  eggs  in  his 

various  concoctions I  have  had  my  dreams  oi 

splendor ;  but  never  expected  to  arrive  at  the  dignity 
of  keeping  a  man-cook.  At  first  we  had  three  meals 
a  day  but  now  only  two 


/850.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  1  10 

We  dined  at  Mr.  Emerson's  the  other  day,  in  com 
pany  with  Mr.  Hedge.  Mr.  Bradford  has  been  to  see 

us  two  or   three  times He  looks  thinner  than 

ever. 

[PASSAGES  FROM  NOTE-BOOKS.] 

May  5th,  1850.  —  I  left  Portsmouth  last  Wednesday, 
at  the  quarter  past  twelve,  by  the  Concord  Railroad,  which 
at  Newcastle  unites  with  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad 
about  ten  miles  from  Portsmouth.  The  station  at 
Newcastle  is  a  small  wooden  building,  with  one  railroad 
passing  on  one  side,  and  another  on  another,  and  the  two 
crossing  each  other  at  right  angles.  At  a  little  distance 
stands  a  black,  large,  old,  wooden  church,  with  a  square 
tower,  and  broken  windows,  and  a  great  rift  through  the 
middle  of  the  roof,  all  in  a  stage  of  dismal  ruin  and 
decay.  A  farm-house  of  the  old  style,  with  a  long 
sloping  roof,  and  as  black  as  the  church,  stands  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road,  with  its  barns ;  and  these  are 
all  the  buildings  in  sight  of  the  railroad  station.  On 
the  Concord  rail,  in  the  train  of  cars,  with  the  'locomo 
tive  puffing,  and  blowing  off  its  steam,  and  making  a 
great  bluster  in  that  lonely  place,  while  along  the  other 
railroad  stretches  the  desolate  track,  with  the  withered 
weeds  growing  up  betwixt  the  two  lines  of  iron,  all  so 
desolate.  And  anon  you  hear  a  low  thunder  running 
along  these  iron  rails  ;  it  grows  louder ;  an  object  is 
seen  afar  off;  it  approaches  rapidly,  and  comes  down 
upon  you  like  fate,  swift  and  inevitable.  In  a  moment, 
it  dashes  along  in  front  of  the  station-house,  and  comes 
to  a  pause,  the  locomotive  hissing  and  fuming  in  iti 


150  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [i850 

eagerness  to  go  on.  How  much  life  has  come  at  once  into 
this  lonely  place  !  Four  or  five  long  cars,  each,  perhaps, 
with  fifty  people  in  it,  reading  newspapers,  reading 
pamphlet  novels,  chattering,  sleeping ;  all  this  vision  of 
passing  life!  A  moment  passes,  while  the  luggage- 
men  are  putting  on  the  trunks  and  packages ;  then  the 
bell  strikes  a  few  times,  and  away  goes  the  train  again, 
quickly  out  of  sight  of  those  who  remain  behind,  while 
a  solitude  of  hours  again  broods  over  the  station-house, 
which,  for  an  instant,  has  thus  been  put  in  communica 
tion  with  far-off  cities,  and  then  remains  by  itself,  with 
the  old,  black,  ruinous  church,  and  the  black  old  farm 
house,  both  built  years  and  years  ago,  before  railroads 
were  ever  dreamed  of.  Meantime,  the  passenger,  step 
ping  from  the  solitary  station  into  the  train,  finds  him 
self  in  the  midst  of  a  new  world  all  in  a  moment. 
He  rushes  out  of  the  solitude  into  a  village ;  thence, 
through  woods  and  hills,  into  a  large  inland  town  ; 
beside  the  Merrimack,  which  has  overflowed  its  banks, 
and  eddies  along,  turbid  as  a  vast  mud-puddle,  some 
times  almost  laving  the  doorstep  of  a  house,  and  with 
trees  standing  in  the  flood  half-way  up  their  trunks. 
Boys,  with  newspapers  to  sell,  or  apples  and  lozenges ; 
many  passengers  departing  and  entering,  at  each  new- 
station  ;  the  more  permanent  passenger,  with  his  check 
or  ticket  stuck  in  his  hat-band,  where  the  conductor 
may  see  it.  A  party  of  girls,  playing  at  ball  with  a 
young  man.  Altogether  it  is  a  scene  of  stirring  life, 
with  which  a  person  who  had  been  waiting  long  for  the 
train  to  come  might  find  it  difficult  at  once  to  amal 
gamate  himself. 

It  is  a  sombre,  brooding  day,  and  begins  to  rain  as 


1850.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  151 

the  cars  pass  onward.  In  a  little  more  tlian  two  hours 
we  find  ourselves  in  Boston,  surrounded  by  eager 
hack  men. 

Yesterday  I  went  to  the  Athena3iim,  and,  being 
received  with  great  courtesy  by  Mr.  Folsom,  was 
shown  all  over  the  edifice  from  the  very  bottom  to 
the  very  top,  whence  I  looked  out  over  Boston.  It 
is  an  admirable  point  of  view  ;  but,  it  being  an  overcast 
and  misty  day,  I  did  not  get  the  full  advantage  of 
it.  The  library  is  in  a  noble  hall,  and  looks  splen 
didly  with  its  vista  of  alcoves.  The  most  remarkable 
sight,  however,  was  Mr.  Hildreth,  writing  his  history 
of  the  United  States.  He  sits  at  a  table,  at  the 
entrance  of  one  of  the  alcoves,  with  his  books  and 
papers  before  him,  as  quiet  and  absorbed  as  he  would 
be  in  the  loneliest  study  ;  now  consulting  an  authority ; 
now  penning  a  sentence  or  a  paragraph,  without  seem 
ing  conscious  of  anything  but  his  subject.  It  is  very 
curious  thus  to  have  a  glimpse  of  a  book  in  process 
of  creation  under  one's  eye.  I  know  not  how  many 
hours  he  sits  there ;  but  while  I  saw  him  he  was  a 
pattern  of  diligence  arid  unwandering  thought.  He 
had  taken  himself  out  of  the  age,  and  put  himself,  I 
suppose,  into  that  about  which  he  was  writing.  Being 
deaf,  he  finds  it  much  the  easier  to  abstract  himself. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  a  miracle.  He  is  a  thin,  middle- 
aged  man,  in  black,  with  an  intelligent  face,  rather  sen 
sible  than  scholar-like. 

Mr.  Folsom  accompanied  me  to  call  upon  Mr. 
Ticknor,  the  historian  of  Spanish  literature.  He  has 
a  fine  house,  at  the  corner  of  Park  and  Beacon  Streets, 
perhaps  the  very  best  position  in  Boston.  A  marble 


152  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850. 

hall,  a  wide  and  easy  staircase,  a  respectable  old  man- 
servantj  evidently  long  at  home  in  the  mansion,  to 
admit  us.  We  entered  the  library,  Mr.  Folsom  con 
siderably  in  advance,  as  being  familiar  with  the  house ; 
and  I  heard  Mr.  Ticknor  greet  him  in  friendly  tones, 
their  scholar-like  and  bibliographical  pursuits,  I  suppose, 
bringing  them  into  frequent  conjunction.  Then  I  was 
introduced,  and  received  with  great  distinction,  but  yet 
without  any  ostentatious  flourish  of  courtesy.  Mr. 
Ticknor  has  a  great  head,  and  his  hair  is  gray  or  gray 
ish.  You  recognize  in  him  at  once  the  man  who 
knows  the  world,  the  scholar,  too,  which  probably  is 
his  more  distinctive  character,  though  a  little  more 
under  the  surface.  He  was  in  his  slippers ;  a  volume 
of  his  book  was  open  on  a  table,  and  apparently  he 
had  been  engaged  in  revising  or  annotating  it.  His 
library  is  a  stately  and  beautiful  room  for  a  private 
dwelling,  and  itself  looks  large  and  rich.  The  fire 
place  has  a  white  marble  frame  about  it,  sculptured 
with  figures  and  reliefs.  Over  it  hung  a  portrait  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  a  copy,  I  think,  of  the  one  that 
represents  him  in  Melrose  Abbey. 

Mr.  Ticknor  was  most  kind  in  his  alacrity  to  solve  the 
point  on  which  Mr.  Folsom,  in  my  behalf,  had  consulted 
him  (as  to  whether  there  had  been  any  English  trans 
lation  of  the  Tales  of  Cervantes)  ;  and  most  liberal  in 
his  offers  of  books  from  his  library.  Certainly,  he  is  a 
fine  example  of  a  generous-principled  scholar,  anxious 
to  assist  the  human  intellect  in  its  efforts  and  researches 
Methinks  he  must  have  spent  a  happy  life  (as  happi 
ness  goes  among  mortals),  writing  his  great  three-vol- 
umed  book  for  twenty  years  ;  writing  it,  not  for  bread, 


1350.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  153 

nor  with  any  uneasy  desire  of  fame,  but  only  with  a 
purpose  to  achieve  something  true  and  enduring.  He 
is,  I  apprehend,  a  man  of  great  cultivation  and  refine 
ment,  and  with  quite  substance  enough  to  be  polished 
and  refined,  without  being  worn  too  thin  in  the  process, 
—  a  man  of  society.  He  related  a  singular  story  of  an 
attempt  of  his  to  become  acquainted  with  me  years  ago, 
when  he  mistook  my  kinsman  Eben  for  me. 

At  half  past  four,  I  went  to  Mr.  Thompson's,  the 
artist  who  has  requested  to  paint  my  picture.  This  was 
the  second  sitting.  The  portrait  looked  dimly  out  from 
the  canvas,  as  from  a  cloud,  with  something  that  I 
could  recognize  as  my  outline,  but  no  strong  resem 
blance  as  yet.  I  have  had  three  portraits  taken  before 
this,  —  an  oil  picture,  a  miniature,  and  a  crayon  sketch, — 
neither  of  them  satisfactory  to  those  most  familiar  with 
my  physiognomy.  In  fact,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a 
true  portrait ;  they  are  all  delusions,  and  I  never  saw 
any  two  alike,  nor  hardly  any  two  that  I  would  recog 
nize,  merely  by  the  portraits  themselves,  as  being  of  the 
same  man.  A  bust  has  more  reality.  This  artist  is  a 
man  of  thought,  and  with  no  mean  idea  of  his  art ;  a 
Swedenborgian,  or,  as  he  prefers  to  call  it,  a  member  of 
the  New  Church ;  and  I  have  generally  found  some 
thing  marked  in  men  who  adopt  that  faith.  He  had 
painted  a  good  picture  of  Bryant.  He  seems  to  me  to 
possess  truth  in  himself,  and  to  aim  at  it  in  his  artistic 
endeavors. 

May  bth.  —  This  morning  it  is  an  easterly  rain  (south 
easterly,  I  should  say  just  now  at  twelve  o'clock),  and  I 
went  at  nine,  by  appointment,  to  sit  for  my  picture, 

7* 


154  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850. 

The  artist  painted  awhile  ;  but  soon  found  that  he  had 
not  so  much  light  as  was  desirable,  and  complained  that 
his  tints  were  as  muddy  as  the  weather.  Further  sit 
ting  was  therefore  postponed  till  to-morrow  at  eleven. 
It  will  be  a  good  picture ;  but  I  see  no  assurance,  as 
yet,  of  the  likeness.  An  artist's  apartment  is  always 
very  interesting  to  me,  with  its  pictures,  finished  and 
unfinished ;  its  little  fancies  in  the  pictorial  way,  —  as 
here  two  sketches  of  children  among  flowers  and  foliage, 
representing  Spring  and  Summer,  Winter  and  Autumn 
being  yet  to  come  out  of  the  artist's  mind ;  the  portraits 
of  his  wife  and  children ;  here  a  clergyman,  there  a  poet ; 
here  a  woman  with  the  stamp  of  reality  upon  her, 
there  a  feminine  conception  which  we  feel  not  to  have 
existed.  There  was  an  infant  Christ,  or  rather  a  child 
Christ,  not  unbeautiful  but  scarcely  divine.  I  love  the 
odor  of  paint  in  an  artist's  room  ;  his  palette  and  all  his 
other  tools  have  a  mysterious  charm  for  me.  The  pur 
suit  has  always  interested  my  imagination  more  than 
any  other,  and  I  remember  before  having  my  fir^t  por 
trait  taken,  there  was  a  great  bewitchery  in  the  idea, 
as  if  it  were  a  magic  process.  Even  now,  it  is  not 
without  interest  to  me. 

I  left  Mr.  Thompson  before  ten,  and  took  my  way 
through  the  sloppy  streets  to  the  Athenaeum,  where  I 
looked  over  the  newspapers  and  periodicals,  and  found 
two  of  my  old  stories  (Peter  Goldthwaite  and  the  Sha 
ker  Bridal)  published  as  original  in  the  last  London 
Metropolitan  !  The  English  are  much  more  unscrupu 
lous  and  dishonest  pirates  than  ourselves.  However 
if  they  are  poor  enough  to  perk  themselves  in  such 
false  feathers  as  these,  Heaven  help  them  !  I  glanced 


1650.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  155 

over  the  stories,  and  they  seemed  painfully  cold  and 
dull.  It  is  the  more  singular  that  these  should  be  so 
published,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  book  was  republished 
in  London,  only  a  few  months  ago.  Mr.  Fields  tells 
me  that  two  publishers  in  London  had  advertised  the 
Scarlet  Letter  as  in  press,  each  book  at  a  shilling. 

Certainly  life  is  made  much  more  tolerable,  and  man 
respects  himself  far  more,  when  he  takes  his  meals  with 
a  certain  degree  of  order  and  state.  There  should  be  a 
sacred  law  in  these  matters  ;  and,  as  consecrating  the 
whole  business,  the  preliminary  prayer  is  a  good  and 
real  ordinance.  The  advance  of  man  from  a  savage 
und  animal  state  may  be  as  well  measured  by  his  mode 
and  morality  of  dining,  as  by  any  other  circumstance. 
At  Mr.  Fields's,  soon  after  entering  the  house,  I  heard  the 
brisk  and  cheerful  notes  of  a  canary  bird,  singing  with 
great  vivacity,  and  making  its  voice  echo  through  the 
large  rooms.  It  was  very  pleasant,  at  the  close  of  the 
rainy,  east-windy  day,  and  seemed  to  fling  sunshine 
through  the  dwelling. 

May  7th.  —  I  did  not  go  out  yesterday  afternoon,  but 
after  tea  I  went  to  Parker's.  The  drinking  and  smok 
ing  shop  is  no  bad  place  to  see  one  kind  of  life.  The 
front  apartment  is  for  drinking.  The  door  opens  into 
Court  Square,  and  is  denoted,  usually,  by  some  choice 
specimens  of  dainties  exhibited  in  the  windows,  or 
hanging  beside  the  door-post ;  as,  for  instance,  a  pair  of 
canvas-back  ducks,  distinguishable  by  their  delicately 
mottled  feathers  ;  an  admirable  cut  of  raw  beefsteak  ;  a 
bam,  ready  boiled,  and  with  curious  figures  traced  m 


156  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850 

epices  on  its  outward  fat ;  a  half,  or  perchance  the 
whole,  of  a  large  salmon,  when  in  season ;  a  bunch  of 
partridges,  &c.,  &c.  A  screen  stands  directly  before 
the  door,  so  as  to  conceal  the  interior  from  an  outside 
barbarian.  At  the  counter  stand,  at  almost  all  hours,  — 
certainly  at  all  hours  when  I  have  chanced  to  observe, 
—  tipplers,  either  taking  a  solitary  glass,  or  treating  all 
round,  veteran  topers,  flashy  young  men,  visitors  from 
the  country,  the  various  petty  officers  connected  with 
the  law,  whom  the  vicinity  of  the  Court-House  brings 
hither.  Chiefly,  they  drink  plain  liquors,  gin,  brandy, 
or  whiskey,  sometimes  a  Tom  and  Jerry,  a  gin  cocktail 
(which  the  bar-tender  makes  artistically,  tossing  it  in  a 
large  parabola  from  one  tumbler  to  another,  until  fit  for 
drinking),  a  brandy-smash,  and  numerous  other  con 
coctions.  All  this  toping  goes  forward  with  little  or  no 
apparent  exhilaration  of  spirits ;  nor  does  this  seem  to 
be  the  object  sought,  —  it  being  either,  I  imagine,  to  cre 
ate  a  titillation  of  the  coats  of  the  stomach  and  a  gen 
eral  sense  of  invigoration,  without  affecting  the  brain. 
Very  seldom  does  a  man  grow  wild  and  unruly. 

The  inner  room  is  hung  round  with  pictures  and 
engravings  of  various  kinds,  —  a  painting  of  a  premium 
ox,  a  lithograph  of  a  Turk  and  of  a  Turkish  lady,  .... 
and  various  showily  engraved  tailors'  advertisements, 
and  other  shop  bills  ;  among  them  all,  a  small  painting 
of  a  drunken  toper,  sleeping  on  a  bench  beside  the  grog 
shop, —  a  ragged,  half-hatless,  bloated,  red-nosed,  jolly 
miserable-looking  devil,  very  well  done,  and  strangely 
suitable  to  the  room  in  which  it  hangs.  Round  the  walls 
are  placed  some  half  a  dozen  marble-topped  tables,  and  a 
centre-table  in  th*  midst;  most  of  them  strewn  with 


I850."|  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  lj? 

theatrical  and  other  show-bills ;  and  the  large  theatre 
bills,  with  their  type  of  gigantic  solidity  and  blackness, 
hung  against  the  walls. 

Last  evening,  when  I  entered,  there  was  one  guest 
somewhat  overcome  with  liquor,  and  slumbering  with  his 
chair  tipped  against  one  of  the  marble  tables.  In  the 
course  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  roused  himself  (a  plain, 
middle-aged  man),  and  went  out  with  rather  an  unsteady 
step,  and  a  hot,  red  face.  One  or  two  others  were 
smoking,  and  looking  over  the  papers,  or  glancing  at  a 
play-bill.  From  the  centre  of  the  ceiling  descended  a 
branch  with  two  gas-burners,  which  sufficiently  illumi 
nated  every  corner  of  the  room.  Nothing  is  so  remark 
able  in  these  bar-rooms  and  drinking-places,  as  the 
perfect  order  that  prevails :  if  a  man  gets  drunk,  it  is  no 
otherwise  perceptible  than  by  his  going  to  sleep,  or  his 
inability  to  walk. 

Pacing  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  this  grog-shop  of 
Parker's  (or  sometimes,  on  cold  and  rainy  days,  taking 
his  station  inside),  there  is  generally  to  be  observed  an 
elderly  ragamuffin,  in  a  dingy  and  battered  hat,  an  old 
surtout,  and  a  more  than  shabby  general  aspect ;  a  thin 
face  and  red  nose,  a  patch  over  one  eye,  and  the  other 
half  drowned  in  moisture.  He  leans  in  a  slightly  stoop 
ing  posture  on  a  stick,  forlorn  and  silent,  addressing 
nobody,  but  fixing  his  one  moist  eye  on  you  with  a 
certain  intentness.  He  is  a  man  who  has  been  in 
decent  circumstances  at  some  former  period  of  his  life, 
but,  falling  into  decay  (perhaps  by  dint  of  too  frequent 
visits  at  Parker's  bar),  he  now  haunts  about  the  place, 
as  a  ghost  haunts  the  spot  where  he  was  murdered,  "  tc 
collect  his  rents,"  as  Parker  says,  —  that  is,  to  catch  au 


Io8  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1S50. 

occasional  ninepence  from  some  charitable  acquaintances, 
or  a  glass  of  liquor  at  the  bar.  The  word  ''raga 
muffin  "  which  I  have  used  above,  does  not  accurately 
express  the  man,  because  there  is  a  sort  of  shadow  or 
delusion  of  respectability  about  him,  and  a  sobriety  too, 
and  a  kind  of  decency  in  his  groggy  arid  red-nosed 
destitution. 

Underground,  beneath  the  drinking  and  smoking- 
rooms,  is  Parker's  eating-hall,  extending  all  the  way  to 
Court  Street.  All  sorts  of  good  eating  may  be  hao1 
there,  and  a  gourmand  may  feast  at  what  expense  ha 
will. 

I  take  an  interest  in  all  the  nooks  and  crannies  and 
every  development  of  cities  ;  BO  here  I  try  to  make  a 
description  of  the  view  from  the  back  windows  of  a 
house  in  the  centre  of  Boston,  at  which  I  now  glance  in 
the  intervals  of  writing.  The  view  is  bounded,  at  per 
haps  thirty  yards  distance,  by  a  row  of  opposite  brick 
dwellings,  standing,  I  think,  on  Temple  Place ;  houses 
of  the  better  order,  with  tokens  of  genteel  families  visi 
ble  in  all  the  rooms  betwixt  the  basements  and  the  attic 
windows  in  the  roof;  plate-glass  in  the  rear  drawing- 
rooms,  flower-pots  in  some  of  the  windows  of  the  upper 
stories.  Occasionally,  a  lady's  figure,  either  seated  or 
appearing  with  a  flitting  grace,  or  dimly  manifest  farther 
within  the  obscurity  of  the  room.  A  balcony,  with  a 
wrought-iron  fence  running  along  under  the  row  of 
drawing-room  windows,  above  the  basement.  In  the 
space  betwixt  the  opposite  row  of  dwellings  and  that  in 
which  I  am  situated,  are  the  low  out-houses  of  the  above- 
described  houses,  with  flat  roofs  ;  or  solid  brick  walls, 


U50.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  159 

with  walks  01  them,  and  high  railings,  for  the  conven 
ience  of  the  v  asherwomen  in  hanging  out  their  clothes. 
In  the  internals  are  grass-plots,  already  green,  because 
so  sheltered  ;  and  fruit-trees,  now  beginning  to  put  forth 
their  leaves,  and  one  of  them,  a  cherry-tree,  almost  in 
full  blossom.  Birds  flutter  and  sing  among  these  trees. 
I  should  judge  it  a  good  site  for  the  growth  of  delicate 
fruit ;  for,  quite  enclosed  on  all  sides  by  houses,  the 
blighting  winds  cannot  molest  the  trees.  They  have 
sunshine  on  them  a  good  part  of  the  day,  though  the 
shadow  must  come  early,  and  I  suppose  there  is  a  rich 
soil  about  the  roots.  I  see  grape-vines  clambering 
against  one  wall,  and  also  peeping  over  another,  where 
the  main  body  of  the  vine  is  invisible  to  me.  In  another 
place,  a  frame  is  erected  for  a  grape-vine,  and  probably 
it  will  produce  as  rich  clusters  as  the  vines  of  Madeira, 
here  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  in  this  little  spot  of  fructi 
fying  earth,  while  the  thunder  of  wheels  rolls  about  it 
on  every  side.  The  trees  are  not  all  fruit-trees.  One 
pretty  well-grown  buttonwood-tree  aspires  upward  above 
the  roofs  of  the  houses.  In  the  full  verdure  of  summer, 
there  will  be  quite  a  mass  or  curtain  of  foliage  between 
the  hither  and  the  thither  row  of  houses. 

Afternoon.  —  At  eleven,  I  went  to  give  Mr.  Thomp 
son  a  sitting  for  my  picture.  I  like  the  painter.  He 
seems  to  reverence  his  art  and  to  aim  at  truth  in  it,  as  I 
said  before ;  a  man  of  gentle  disposition  too,  and  sim 
plicity  of  life  and  character.  I  seated  myself  in  the 
pictorial  chair,  with  the  only  light  in  the  room  descend 
ing  upon  me  from  a  high  opening,  almost  at  the  ceiling, 
the  rest  of  the  sole  window  being  shuttered.  He  began 
to  work,  and  we  talked  in  an  idle  and  desultory  way,  — 


1GO  AME1UCAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850-. 

neither  of  us  feeling  very  conversable,  —  which  he 
attributed  to  the  atmosphere,  it  being  a  bright,  west- 
windy,  bracing  day.  We  talked  about  the  pictures  of 
Christ,  and  how  inadequate  and  untrue  they  are.  He 
said  he  thought  artists  should  attempt  only  to  paint 
child-Christs,  human  powers  being  inadequate  to  tho 
task  of  painting  such  purity  and  holiness  in  a  manly 
development.  Then  he  said  that  an  idea  of  a  picture 
had  occurred  to  him  that  morning,  while  reading  a 
chapter  in  the  New  Testament,  —  how  "  they  parted 
his  garments  among  them,  and  for  his  vesture  did  cast 
lots."  His  picture  was  to  represent  the  soldier  to  whom 
the  garment  without  a  seam  had  fallen,  after  taking  it 
home  and  examining  it,  and  becoming  impressed  with 
a  sense  of  the  former  wearer's  holiness.  I  do  not  quite 
see  how  he  would  make  such  a  picture  tell  its  own 
story  ;  —  but  I  find  the  idea  suggestive  to  my  own  mind, 
and  I  think  I  could  make  something  of  it.  We  talked  of 
physiognomy  and  impressions  of  character,  —  first  im 
pressions,  —  and  how  apt  they  are  to  come  aright  in  the 
face  of  the  closest  subsequent  observation. 

There  were  several  visitors  in  the  course  of  the  sitting, 
one  a  gentleman,  a  connection  from  the  country,  with 
whom  the  artist  talked  about  family  matters  and  per 
sonal  affairs,  —  observing  on  the  poorness  of  his  own 
business,  and  that  he  had  thoughts  of  returning  to  New 
York.  I  wish  he  would  meet  with  better  success.  Two 
or  three  ladies  also  looked  in.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Thomp 
son  had  been  painting  with  more  and  more  eagerness, 
casting  quick,  keen  glances  at  me,  and  then  making  hasty 
touches  on  the  picture,  as  if  to  secure  with  his  brush 
what  he  had  caught  with  his  eye.  He  observed  that 


1850.]  AMEKICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  161 

he  was  just  getting  interested  in  the  work,  and  I  could 
recognize  the  feeling  that  was  in  him  as  akin  to  what 
I  have  experienced  myself  in  the  glow  of  composition. 
Nevertheless,  he  seemed  able  to  talk  about  foreign  mat 
ters,  through  it  all.  He  continued  to  paint  in  this  rapid 
way,  up  to  the  moment  of  closing  the  sitting ;  when  he 
took  the  canvas  from  the  easel,  without  giving  me  time 
to  mark  what  progress  he  had  made,  as  he  did  the  last 
time. 

The  artist  is  middle-sized,  thin,  a  little  stooping,  with 
a  quick,  nervous  movement.  He  has  black  hair,  not 
thick,  a  beard  under  his  chin,  a  small  head,  but  well- 
developed  forehead,  black  eyebrows,  eyes  keen,  but 
kindly,  and  a  dark  face,  not  indicating  robust  health, 
but  agreeable  in  its  expression.  His  voice  is  gentle  and 
sweet,  and  such  as  comes  out  from  amidst  refined  feel 
ings.  He  dresses  very  simply  and  unpictorially  in  a 
gray  frock  or  sack,  and  does  not  seem  to  think  of  mak 
ing  a  picture  of  himself  in  his  own  person. 

At  dinner  to-day  there  was  a  young  Frenchman, 

whom befriended  a  year  or  so  ago,  when  he  had 

not  another  friend  in  America,  and  obtained  employment 
for  him  in  a  large  dry-goods  establishment.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  eighteen  or  thereabouts,  with  smooth  black 
hair,  neatly  dressed ;  his  face  showing  a  good  disposition, 
but  with  nothing  of  intellect  or  character.  It  is  funny  to 
think  of  this  poor  little  Frenchman,  a  Parisian  too,  eat 
ing  our  most  un-French  victuals,  —  our  beefsteaks,  and 
roasts,  and  various  homely  puddings  and  hams,  and  all 
things  most  incongruent  to  his  hereditary  stomach ;  but 
nevertheless  he  eats  most  cheerfully  and  uncomplain 
ingly.  He  has  not  a  large  measure  of  French  vivacity, 

x 


162  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850. 

never  rattles,  never  dances,  nor  breaks  into  ebullitions 
of  mirth  and  song  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  never  known 
a  youth  of  his  age  more  orderly  and  decorous.  He  is 
kind-hearted  and  grateful,  and  evinces  his  gratitude  to 
the  mother  of  the  family  and  to  his  benefactress  by 
occasional  presents,  not  trifling  when  measured  by  his 
small  emolument  of  five  dollars  per  week.  Just  at  this 
time  he  is  confined  to  his  room  by  indisposition,  caused, 
it  is  suspected,  by  a  spree  on  Sunday  last.  Our  gross 
Saxon  orgies  would  soon  be  the  ruin  of  his  French  con 
stitution. 

A  thought  to-day.  Great  men  need  to  be  lifted  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  whole  world,  in  order  to  conceive 
their  great  ideas  or  perform  their  great  deeds.  That  is, 
there  must  be  an  atmosphere  of  greatness  round  about 
them.  A  hero  cannot  be  a  hero  unless  in  an  heroic 
world. 

May  8th.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  the  National 
Theatre  to  see  a  pantomime.  It  was  Jack  the  Giant- 
Killer,  and  somewhat  heavy  and  tedious.  The  audi 
ence  was  more  noteworthy  than  the  play.  The  theatre 
itself  is  for  the  middling  and  lower  classes,  and  I  had 
not  taken  my  seat  in  the  most  aristocratic  part  of  the 
house ;  so  that  I  found  myself  surrounded  chiefly  by 
young  sailors,  Hanover  Street  shopmen,  mechanics,  and 
other  people  of  that  class.  It  is  wonderful !  the  difference 
that  exists  in  the  personal  aspect  and  dress,  and  no  less 
in  the  manners,  of  people  in  this  quarter  of  the  city,  as 
compared  with  other  parts  of  it. 

One  would  think  that  Oak  Hall  should  give  a  common 


1850.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  163 

garb  and  air  to  the  great  mass  of  the  Boston  popula 
tion  ;  but  it  seems  not  to  be  so ;  and  perhaps  what  is 
most  singular  is,  that  the  natural  make  of  the  men  has 
a  conformity  and  suitableness  to  the  dress.  Glazed 
caps  and  Palo  Alto  hats  were  much  worn.  It  is  a  pity 
that  this  picturesque  and  comparatively  graceful  hat 
should  not  have  been  generally  adopted,  instead  of  fall 
ing  to  the  exclusive  use  of  a  rowdy  class. 

In  the  next  box  to  me  were  two  young  women,  with 
an  infant,  but  to  which  of  them  appertaining  I  could 
not  at  first  discover.  One  was  a  large,  plump  girl, 
with  a  heavy  face,  a  snub  nose,  coarse-looking,  but 
good-natured,  and  with  no  traits  of  evil,  —  save,  indeed, 
that  she  had  on  the  vilest  gown  of  dirty  white  cotton, 
so  pervadingly  dingy  that  it  was  white  no  longer,  as 
it  seemed  to  me.  The  sleeves  were  short,  and  ragged 
at  the  borders,  and  her  shawl,  which  she  took  off  on 
account  of  the  heat,  was  old  and  faded,  —  the  shabbiest 
and  dirtiest  dress  that  I  ever  saw  a  woman  wear. 
Yet  she  was  plump,  and  looked  comfortable  in  body 
and  mind.  I  imagine  that  she  must  have  had  a  bet 
ter  dress  at  home,  but  had  come  to  the  theatre  ex 
temporaneously,  and,  not  going  to  the  dress  circle,  con 
sidered  her  ordinary  gown  good  enough  for  the  occasion. 
The  other  girl  seemed  as  young  or  younger  than  her 
self.  She  was  small,  with  a  particularly  intelligent  and 
pleasant  face,  not  handsome,  perhaps,  but  as  good  or 
better  than  if  it  were.  It  was  mobile  with  whatever 
sentiment  chanced  to  be  in  her  mind,  as  quick  and  viva 
cious  a  face  in  its  movements  as  I  have  ever  seen; 
cheerful,  too,  and  indicative  of  a  sunny,  though  I  should 
thinlt  it  might  be  a  hasty,  temper.  She  was  dressed  in 


164  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  ,     [i860. 

a  dark  gown  (chintz,  I  suppose  the  women  call  it),  a 
good,  homely  dress,  proper  enough  for  the  fireside,  but  a 
strange  one  to  appear  in  at  a  theatre.  Both  these  girls 
appeared  to  enjoy  themselves  very  much,  —  the  large  and 
heavy  one  in  her  own  duller  mode ;  the  smaller  mani 
festing  her  interest  by  gestures,  pointing  at  the  stage, 
and  with  so  vivid  a  talk  of  countenance  that  it  was  pre 
cisely  as  if  she  had  spoken.  She  was  not  a  brunette, 
and  this  made  the  vivacity  of  her  expression  the  more 
agreeable.  Her  companion,  on  the  other  hand,  was  so 
dark,  that  I  rather  suspected  her  to  have  a  tinge  of 
African  blood. 

There  were  two  men  who  seemed  to  have  some  con 
nection  with  these  girls,  —  one  an  elderly,  gray-headed 
personage,  well-stricken  in  liquor,  talking  loudly  and 
foolishly,  but  good-humoredly  ;  the  other  a  young  man, 
sober,  and  doing  his  best  to  keep  his  elder  friend  quiet. 
The  girls  seemed  to  give  themselves  no  uneasiness  about 
the  matter.  Both  the  men  wore  Palo  Alto  hats.  I 
could  not  make  out  whether  either  of  the  men  were  the 
father  of  the  child,  though  I  was  inclined  to  set  it  down 
as  a  family  party. 

As  the  play  went  on,  the  house  became  crowded  and 
oppressively  warm,  and  the  poor  little  baby  grew  dark 
red,  or  purple  almost,  with  the  uncomfortable  heat  in  its 
small  body.  It  must  have  been  accustomed  to  discom 
fort,  and  have  concluded  it  to  be  the  condition  of  mortal 
life,  else  it  never  would  have  remained  so  quiet.  Per 
haps  it  had  been  quieted  with  a  sleeping-potion.  The 
two  young  women  were  not  negligent  of  it ;  but  passed 
it  to  and  fro  between  them,  each  willingly  putting  her 
self  to  inconvenience  for  the  sake  of  tending  it.  But  I 


1850.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  165 

really  feared  it  might  die  in  some  kind  of  a  fit,  so  hot 
was  the  theatre,  so  purple  with  heat,  yet  strangely  quiet, 
was  the  child.  I  was  glad  to  hear  it  cry  at  last ;  but  it 
did  not  cry  with  any  great  rage  and  vigor,  as  it  should, 
but  in  a  stupid  kind  of  way.  Hereupon  the  smaller  of 
the  two  girls,  after  a  little  inefficacious  dandling,  at  once 
settled  the  question  of  maternity,  by  nursing  her  baby. 
Children  must  be  hard  to  kill,  however  injudicious  the 
treatment.  The  two  girls  and  their  cavaliers  remained 
till  nearly  the  close  of  the  play.  I  should  like  well  to 
know  who  they  are,  —  of  what  condition  in  life,  and 
whether  reputable  as  members  of  the  class  to  which 
they  belong.  My  own  judgment  is  that  they  are  so. 
Throughout  the  evening,  drunken  young  sailors  kept 
stumbling  into  and  out  of  the  boxes,  calling  to  one  an 
other  from  different  parts  of  the  house,  shouting  to  the 
performers,  and  singing  the  burden  of  songs.  It  was  a 
scene  of  life  in  the  rough. 

May  I4:th.  —  A  stable  opposite  the  house,  —  an  old 
wooden  construction,  low,  in  three  distinct  parts ;  the 
centre  being  the  stable  proper,  where  the  horses  are 
kept,  and  with  a  chamber  over  it  for  the  hay.  On  one 
side  is  the  department  for  chaises  and  carriages ;  on  the 
other,  the  little  office  where  the  books  are  kept.  In  the 
interior  region  of  the  stable  everything  is  dim  and  un 
defined,  —  half-traceable  outlines  of  stalls,  sometimes 
the  shadowy  aspect  of  a  horse.  Generally  a  groom  i? 
dressing  a  horse  at  the  stable  door,  with  a  care  and  ac 
curacy  that  leave  no  part  of  the  animal  unvisited  by 
the  currycomb  and  brash ;  the  horse,  meanwhile,  evi 
dently  enjoying  it,  but  sometimes,  when  the  more  sensi- 


166  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [i860 

tive  parts  are  touched,  giving  a  half-playful  kick  with 
his  hind  legs,  and  a  little  neigh.  If  the  men  bestowed 
half  as  much  care  on  their  own  personal  cleanliness, 
they  would  be  all  the  better  and  healthier  men  there 
for.  They  appear  to  be  busy  men,  these  stablers,  yet 
have  a  lounging  way  with  them,  as  if  indolence  were 
somehow  diffused  through  their  natures.  The  appar 
ent  head  of  the  establishment  is  a  sensible,  thoughtful- 
looking,  large-featured  and  homely  man,  past  the  middle 
uge,  clad  rather  shabbily  in  gray,  stooping  somewhat, 
and  without  any  smartness  about  him.  There  is  a 
groom,  who  seems  to  be  a  very  comfortable  kind  of  per 
sonage, —  a  man  of  forty-five  or  thereabouts  (R.  W. 
Emerson  says  he  was  one  of  his  schoolmates),  but  not 
looking  so  old ;  corpulent,  not  to  say  fat,  with  a  white 
frock,  which  his  goodly  bulk  almost  fills,  enveloping  him 
from  neck  nearly  to  ankles.  On  his  head  he  wears  a 
cloth  cap  of  a  jockey  shape ;  his  pantaloons  are  turned 
up  an  inch  or  two  at  bottom,  and  he  wears  brogans  on 
his  feet.  His  hair,  as  may  be  seen  when  he  takes  off 
his  cap  to  wipe  his  brow,  is  black  and  in  perfect  preser 
vation,  with  not  exactly  a  curl,  yet  a  vivacious  and  elastic 
kind  of  twist  in  it.  His  face  is  fresh-colored,  comfort 
able,  sufficiently  vivid  in  expression,  not  at  all  dimmed 
by  his  fleshly  exuberance,  because  the  man  possesses 
vigor  enough  to  carry  it  off.  His  bodily  health  seems 
perfect ;  so,  indeed,  does  his  moral  and  intellectual.  He 
is  very  active  and  assiduous  in  his  duties,  currycomb- 
ing  and  rubbing  down  the  horses  with  alacrity  and  skill; 
and,  when  not  otherwise  occupied,  you  may  see  him 
talking  jovially  with  chance  acquaintances,  or  observing 
wiat  is  going  forward  in  the  street.  If  a  female  ao- 


j850.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  167 

quaintance  happens  to  pass,  he  touches  his  jockey  cap, 
and  bows,  accomplishing  this  courtesy  with  a  certain 
smartness  that  proves  him  a  man  of  the  world.  Wheth 
er  it  be  his  greater  readiness  to  talk,  or  the  wisdom  of 
what  he  says,  he  seems  usually  to  be  the  centre  talker 
of  the  group.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  see  such  an  image 
of  earthly  comfort  as  this.  A  fat  man  who  feels  his 
flesh  as  a  disease  and  encumbrance,  and  on  whom  it 
presses  so  as  to  make  him  melancholy  with  dread  of 
apoplexy,  and  who  moves-  heavily  under  the  burden  of 
himself,  —  such  a  man  is  a  doleful  and  disagreeable 
object.  But  if  he  have  vivacity  enough  to  pervade  all 
his  earthiness,  and  bodily  force  enough  to  move  lightly 
under  it,  and  if  it  be  not  too  unmeasured  to  have  a 
trimness  and  briskness  in  it,  then  it  is  good  and  whole 
some  to  look  at  him. 

In  the  background  of  the  house,  a  cat,  occasionally 
stealing  along  on  the  roofs  of  the  low  out-houses ;  de 
scending  a  flight  of  wooden  steps  into  the  brick  area ; 
investigating  the  shed,  and  entering  all  dark  and  secret 
places  ;  cautious,  circumspect,  as  if  in  search  of  some 
thing  ;  noiseless,  attentive  to  every  noise.  Moss  grows 
on  spots  of  the  roof;  there  are  little  boxes  of  earth  here 
and  there,  with  plants  in  them.  The  grass-plots  apper 
taining  to  each  of  the  houses  whose  rears  are  opposite 
ours  (standing  in  Temple  Place)  are  perhaps  ten  or 
twelve  feet  broad,  and  three  times  as  long.  Here  and 
there  is  a  large,  painted  garden-pot,  half  buried  in  earth. 
Besides  the  large  trees  in  blossom,  there  are  little  ones, 
probably  of  last  year's  setting  out.  Early  in  the  day 
chambermaids  are  seen  hanging  the  bedclothes  out  of 
the  upper  windows  ;  at  the  window  of  the  basement  of 


168  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850- 

the  same  house,  I  see  a  woman  ironing.  Were  I  a  soli 
tary  prisoner,  I  should  not  doubt  to  find  occupation  of 
deep  interest  for  my  whole  day  in  watching  only  one  of 
the  houses.  One  house  seems  to  be  quite  shut  up  ;  all 
the  blinds  in  the  three  windows  of  each  of  the  four  stories 
being  closed,  although  in  tlie  roof-windows  of  the  attic 
story  the  curtains  are  hung  carelessly  upward,  instead 
of  being  drawn.  I  think  the  house  is  empty,  perhaps 
for  the  summer.  The  visible  side  of  the  whole  row  of 
houses  is  now  in  the  shade,  —  they  looking  towards, 
I  should  say,  the  southwest.  Later  in  the  day,  they 
are  wholly  covered  with  sunshine,  and  continue  so 
through  the  afternoon;  and  at  evening  the  sunshine 
slowly  withdraws  upward,  gleams  aslant  upon  the 
windows,  perches  on  the  chimneys,  and  so  disappears. 
The  upper  part  of  the  spire  and  the  weathercock  of  the 
Park  Street  Church  appear  over  one  of  the  houses, 
looking  as  if  it  were  close  behind.  It  shows  the  wind 
to  be  east  now.  At  one  of  the  windows  of  the  third 
story  sits  a  woman  in  a  colored  dress,  diligently  sewing 
on  something  white.  She  sews,  not  like  a  lady,  but  with 
an  occupational  air.  Her  dress,  I  observe,  on  closer 
observation,  is  a  kind  of  loose  morning  sack,  with,  I 
think,  a  silky  gloss  on  it ;  and  she  seems  to  have  a  silver 
comb  in  her  hair,  —  no,  this  latter  item  is  a  mistake. 
Sheltered  as  the  space  is  between  the  two  rows  of 
houses,  a  puff  of  the  east  wind  finds  its  way  in,  and 
shakes  off  some  of  the  withering  blossoms  from  the  cher 
ry-trees. 

Quiet  as  the  prospect  is,  there  is  a  continual  and  near 
thunder  of  wheels  proceeding  from  Washington  Street 
In  a  building  not  far  off,  there  is  a  hall  for  exhibitions 


1850. J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  169 

and  sometimes,  in  the  evenings,  loud  music  is  heard 
from  it ,  or,  if  a  diorama  be  shown  (that  of  Bunker 
Hill,  for  instance,  or  the  burning  of  Moscow),  an  im 
mense  racket  of  imitative  cannon  and  musketry. 

May  16^.  —  It  has  been  an  easterly  rain  yesterday 
and  to-day,  with  occasional  lightings  up,  and  then  a 
heavy  downfall  of  the  gloom  again. 

Scenes  out  of  the  rear  windows,  —  the  glistening  roof 
of  the  opposite  houses ;  the  chimneys,  now  and  then 
choked  with  their  own  smoke,  which  a  blast  drives  down 
their  throats.  The  church-spire  has  a  mist  about  it. 
Once  this  morning  a  solitary  dove  came  and  alighted  on 
the  peak  of  an  attic  window,  and  looked  down  into  the 
areas,  remaining  in  this  position  a  considerable  time. 
Now  it  has  taken  a  flight,  and  alighted  on  the  roof  of  this 
house,  directly  over  the  window  at  which  I  sit,  so  that  I 
<;an  look  up  and  see  its  head  and  beak,  and  the  tips  of 
Us  claws.  The  roofs  of  the  low  out-houses  are  black  with 
moisture ;  *,he  gutters  are  full  of  water,  and  there  is  a 
little  puddle  where  there  is  a  place  for  it  in  the  hollow 
of  a  board.  On  the  grass-plot  are  strewn  the  fallen  blos 
soms  of  the  cherry-tree,  and  over  the  scene  broods  a 
parallelogram  of  sombre  sky.  Thus  it  will  be  all  day 
as  it  was  yesterday ;  and,  in  the  evening,  one  window 
sifter  another  will  be  lighted  up  in  the  drawing-rooms. 
Through  the  white  curtains  may  be  seen  the  gleam  of 
an  astral-lamp,  like  a  fixed  star.  In  the  basement 
rooms,  the  work  of  the  kitchen  going  forward ;  in  the 
upper  chambers,  here  and  there  a  light. 

In  a  bar-  room,  a  large,  oval  basin  let  into  the  counter 

VOL.   II.  8 


170  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [l8f>0 

with  a  brass  tube  rising  from  the  centre,  out  of  wlm.h 
gushes  continually  a  miniature  fountain,  and  descends 
in  a  soft,  gentle,  never-ceasing  rain  into  the  basin,  where 
swim  a  company  of  gold-fishes.  Some  of  them  gleam 
brightly  in  their  golden  armor ;  others  have  a  dull 
white  aspect,  going  through  some  process  of  transfor 
mation.  One  would  think  that  the  atmosphere,  contin 
ually  filled  with  tobacco-smoke,  might  impregnate  the 
water  unpleasantly  for  the  scaly  people ;  but  then  it  is 
continually  flowing  away  and  being  renewed.  And 
what  if  some  toper  should  be  seized  with  the  freak  of 
emptying  his  glass  of  gin  or  brandy  into  the  basin,  — 
would  the  fishes  die  or  merely  get  jolly? 

I  saw,  for  a  wonder,  a  man  pretty  drunk  at  Parker's 
the  other  evening,  —  a  well-dressed  man,  of  not  ungentle- 
manly  aspect.  He  talked  loudly  and  foolishly,  but  in  good 
phrases,  with  a  great  flow  of  language,  and  he  was  no 
otherwise  impertinent  than  in  addressing  his  talk  to  stran 
gers.  Finally,  after  sitting  a  long  time  staring  stead 
fastly  across  the  room  in  silence,  he  arose,  and  staggered 
away  as  best  he  might,  only  showing  his  very  drunken 
state  when  he  attempted  to  walk. 

Old  acquaintances,  —  a  gentleman  whom  I  knew  ten 
years  ago,  brisk,  active,  vigorous,  with  a  kind  of  fire 
of  physical  well-being  and  cheerful  spirits  glowing 
through  him.  Now,  after  a  course,  I  presume,  of  rather 
free  living,  pale,  thin,  oldish,  with  a  grave  and  care  or 
pain  worn  brow,  —  yet  still  lively  and  cheerful  in  his 
accost,  though  with  something  invincibly  saddened  in 
his  tones.  Another,  formerly  commander  of  a  revenue 
vessel,  —  a  man  of  splendid  epaulets  and  very  aristo- 
Ciatic  equipment  and  demeanor;  now  out  of  service 


1850.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  171 

and  without  position,  and  changed  into  a  brandy-burnt 
and  rowdyish  sort  of  personage.  He  seemed  as  if  he 
might  still  be  a  gentleman  if  he  would  ;  but  his  manners 
show  a  desperate  state  of  mind  by  their  familiarity, 
recklessness,  the  lack  of  any  hedge  of  reserve  about  him 
self,  while  still  he  is  evidently  a  man  of  the  world,  ac 
customed  to  good  society.  He  has  latterly,  I  think, 
been  in  the  Russian  service,  and  would  very  probably 
turn  pirate  on  fair  occasion. 

Lenox,  July  14th. — The  tops  of  the  chestnut- trees 
have  a  whitish  appearance,  they  being,  I  suppose,  in 
bloom.  Red  raspberries  are  just  through  the  sea 
son. 

Language,  —  human  language,  —  after  all,  is  but  little 
better  than  the  croak  and  cackle  of  fowls  and  other 
utterances  of  brute  nature,  —  sometimes  not  so  ade 
quate. 

July  Iftth.  —  The  tops  of  the  chestnut-trees  are  pecu 
liarly  rich,  as  if  a  more  luscious  sunshine  were  falling 
on  them  than  anywhere  else.  "  Whitish, "  as  above, 
don't  express  it. 

The  queer  gestures  and  sounds  of  a  hen  looking 
about  for  a  place  to  deposit  her  egg ;  her  self-im 
portant  gait;  the  side  way  turn  of  ter  head  and  cock 
of  her  eye,  as  she  prys  into  one  and  another  nook, 
croaking  all  the  while,  —  evidently  with  the  idea  that 
the  egg  in  question  is  the  most  important  thing  that 
has  been  brought  to  pass  since  the  world  began,  A 


172  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850 

speckled  black  and  white  and  tufted  hen  of  ours  does 
it  to  most  ludicrous  perfection ;  and  there  is  something 
laughably  womanish  in  it  too. 

July  25th.  —  As  I  sit  in  my  study,  with  the  windows 
open,  the  occasional  incident  of  the  visit  of  some 
winged  creature,  —  wasp,  hornet,  or  bee  —  entering  out 
of  the  warm  sunny  atmosphere,  soaring  round  the  room 
in  large  sweeps,  then  buzzing  against  the  glass,  as 
not  satisfied  with  the  place,  and  desirous  of  getting 
out.  Finally,  the  joyous,  uprising  curve  with  which, 
coming  to  the  open  part  of  the  window,  it  emerges  into 
the  cheerful  glow  of  the  outside. 

August  4th.  —  Dined  at  hotel  with  J.  T.  Fields  and 
wife.  Afternoon,  drove  with  them  to  Pittsfield  and 
called  on  Dr.  Holmes. 

August  5th.  —  Drove  with  Fields  and  his  wife  to 
Stockbridge,  being  thereto  invited  by  Mr.  Field  of 
Stockbridge,  in  order  to  ascend  Monument  Mountain. 
Found  at  Mr.  Field's  Dr.  Holmes  and  Mr.  Duyckink 
of  New  York ;  also  Mr.  Cornelius  Matthews  and  Her 
man  Melville.  Ascended  the  mountain ;  that  is  to 
say,  Mrs.  Fields  and  Miss  Jenny  Field,  Mr.  Field  and 
Mr.  Fields,  Dr.  Holmes,  Messrs.  Duyckink,  Matthews, 
Melville,  Mr.  Henry  Sedgewick,  and  I,  and  were  caught 
in  a  shower.  Dined  at  Mr.  Field's.  Afternoon,  under 
guidance  of  J.  T.  Headway,  the  party  scrambled  through 
the  ice-glen. 

August  7th.  —  Messrs.  Duyckink,  Matthews,  Melville, 


1850.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  173 

and  Melville,  junior,  called  in  the  forenoon.  Gave 
them  a  couple  of  bottles  of  Mr.  Mansfield's  champagne, 
and  walked  down  to  the  lake  with  them.  At  twilight 
Mr.  Edwin  P.  Whipple  and  wife  called. 

August  8th.  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whipple  took  tea 
with  us. 

August  12th.  —  Seven  chickens  hatched.  J.  T.  Head- 
ley  and  brother  called.  Eight  chickens. 

August  l$th. — Monument  Mountain,  in  the  early 
sunshine ;  its  base  enveloped  in  mist,  parts  of  which  are 
floating  in  the  sky,  so  that  the  great  hill  looks  really 
as  if  it  were  founded  on  a  cloud.  Just  emerging 
from  the  mist  is  seen  a  yellow  field  of  rye,  and,  above 
that,  forest. 

August  21st.  —  Eight  more  chickens  hatched.  As 
cended  a  mountain  with  my  wife  ;  a  beautiful,  mellow, 
autumnal  sunshine. 

August  2±th.  —  In  the  afternoons,  nowadays,  this 
valley  in  which  I  dwell  seems  like  a  vast  basin  filled 
with  golden  sunshine  as  with  wine. 

August  31st.  —  J.  R.  Lowell  called  in  the  evening. 

September  1st.  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowell  called  in  the 
forenoon,  on  their  way  to  StockVidge  or  Lebanon  to 
meet  Miss  Bremer. 

September  2d.  —  "  When  I  grow  up,"  quoth  J ,  in 


174  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKb.  [1850 

illustration  of  the  might  to  which  he  means  to  attain,  — 
"  when  I  grow  up,  I  shall  be  two  men." 

September  3d.  —  Foliage  of  maples  begins  to  change. 
Julian,  after  picking  up  a  handful  of  autumnal  maple- 
leaves  the  other  day,  —  "  Look,  papa,  here 's  a  bunch 
of  fire!" 

September  7th.  —  In  a  wood,  a  heap  or  pile  of  logg 
and  sticks,  that  had  been  cut  for  firewood,  and  piled 
up  square,  in  order  to  be  carted  away  to  the  house 
when  convenience  served,  —  or,  rather,  to  be  sledded 
in  sleighing  time.  But  the  moss  had  accumulated  on 
them,  and  leaves  falling  over  them  from  year  to  year 
and  decaying,  a  kind  of  soil  had  quite  covered  them, 
although  the  softened  outline  of  the  woodpile  was 
perceptible  in  the  green  mound.  It  was  perhaps  fifty 
years  —  perhaps  more  —  since  the  woodman  had  cut 
and  piled  those  logs  and  sticks,  intending  them  for  his 
winter  fires.  But  he  probably  needs  no  fire  now. 
There  was  something  strangely  interesting  in  this  sim 
ple  circumstance.  Imagine  the  long-dead  woodman, 
and  his  long-dead  wife  and  family,  and  the  old  man 
who  was  a  little  child  when  the  wood  was  cut,  coming 
back  from  their  graves,  and  trying  to  make  a  fire  with 
this  mossy  fuel. 

September  19th.  —  Lying  by  the  lake  yesterday 
afternoon,  with  my  eyes  shut,  while  the  waves  and 
sunshine  were  playing  together  on  the  water,  the 
quick  glimmer  of  the  wavelets  was  perceptible  through 
my  closed  eyelids. 


1850.J  AMERICAN   ^TE-BOOKS.  175 

October  13th.  —  A  windy  day,  with  wind  northwest, 
cool,  with  a  prevalence  of  dull  gray  clouds  over  tho 
sky,  but  with  brief,  quick  glimpses  of  sunshine. 

The  foliage  having  its  autumn  hues,  Monument 
Mountain  looks  like  a  headless  sphinx,  wrapped  in  a  rich 
Persian  shawl.  Yesterday,  through  a  diffused  mist, 
with  the  sun  shining  on  it,  it  had  the  aspect  of  bur 
nished  copper.  The  sun-gleams  on  the  hills  are  pe 
culiarly  magnificent  just  in  these  days. 

One  of  the  children,  drawing  a  cow  on  the  blackboard, 
says,  "  I  '11  kick  this  leg  out  a  little  more,"  —  a  very 
happy  energy  of  expression,  completely  identifying  her 
self  with  the  cow ;  or  perhaps,  as  the  cow's  creator, 
conscious  of  full  power  over  its  movements. 

October  14th.  —  The  brilliancy  of  the  foliage  has 
passed  its  acme ;  and  indeed  it  has  not  been  so  magnifi 
cent  this  season  as  in  some  others,  owing  to  the  gradual 
approaches  of  cooler  weather,  and  there  having  been 
slight  frosts  instead  of  severe  ones.  There  is  still  a 
shaggy  richness  on  the  hillsides. 

October  1 6th.  —  A  morning  mist,  filling  up  the  whole 
length  and  breadth  of  the  valley  betwixt  my  house  and 
Monument  Mountain,  the  summit  of  the  mountain 
emerging.  The  mist  reaches  almost  to  my  window,  so 
dense  as  to  conceal  everything,  except  that  near  its 
hither  boundary  a  few  ruddy  or  yellow  tree-tops  ap 
pear,  glorified  by  the  early  sunshine,  as  is  likewise  the 
Whole  mist-cloud. 

There  is  a   glen  between  this  house   and  the  lake, 


176  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850. 

through  which  winds  a  little  brook  with  pools  and  tiny 
waterfalls  over  the  great  roots  of  trees.  The  glen  is 
deep  and  narrow,  and  filled  with  trees ;  so  that,  in  the 
summer,  it  is  all  a  dense  shadow  of  obscurity.  Now,  the 
foliage  of  the  trees  being  almost  entirely  a  golden 
yellow,  instead  of  being  full  of  shadow,  the  glen  is 
absolutely  full  of  sunshine,  and  its  depths  are  more  bril 
liant  than  the  open  plain  or  the  mountain-tops.  The 
trees  are  sunshine,  and,  many  of  the  golden  leaves  being 
freshly  fallen,  the  glen  is  strewn  with  sunshine,  amid 
which  winds  and  gurgles  the  bright,  dark  little  brook. 

December  1st. —  I  saw  a  dandelion  in  bloom  near  the 
lake. 

December  ISth. —  If  the  world  were  crumbled  to  the 
finest  dust,  and  scattered  through  the  universe,  there 
would  not  be  an  atom  of  the  dust  for  each  star. 

"  Generosity  is  the  flower  of  justice." 

The  print  in  blood  of  a  naked  foot  to  be  traced 
through  the  street  of  a  town. 

Sketch  of  a  personage  with  the  malignity  of  a  witch, 
and   doing  the   mischief  attributed   to   one,  —  but   by 
natural  means  ;  breaking  off  love-affairs,  teaching  chil 
dren  vices,  ruining  men  of  wealth,  &c. 

Ladislaus,  King  of  Naples,  besieging  the  city  of 
Florence,  agreed  to  show  mercy,  provided  the  inhabi 
tants  would  deliver  to  him  a  certain  virgin  of  famous 


1850. J  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  177 

beauty,  the  daughter  of  a  physician  of  the  city.  When 
she  was  sent  to  the  king,  every  one  contributing  some 
thing  to  adorn  her  in  the  richest  manner,  her  father 
gave  her  a  perfumed  handkerchief,  at  that  time  a  uni 
versal  decoration,  richly  wrought.  This  handkerchief 
was  poisoned  with  his  utmost  art,  ....  and  they  pres 
ently  died  in  one  another's  arms. 

Of  a  bitter  satirist,  —  of  Swift,  for  instance, — it 
might  be  said,  that  the  person  or  thing  on  which  his 
satire  fell  shrivelled  up  as  if  the  Devil  had  spit  on  it. 

The  Fount  of  Tears,  —  a  traveller  to  discover  it,  — 
and  other  similar  localities. 

Benvenuto  Cellini  saw  a  Salamander  in  the  house 
hold  fire.  It  was  shown  him  by  his  father,  in  child 
hood. 

For  the  virtuoso's  collection,  —  the  pen  with  which 
Faust  signed  away  his  salvation,  with  the  drop  of  blood 
dried  in  it. 

An  article  on  newspaper  advertisements,  —  a  country 
newspaper,  methinks,  rather  than  a  city  one. 

An  eating-house,  where  all  the  dishes  served  out, 
even  to  the  bread  and  salt,  shall  be  poisoned  with  the 
adulterations  that  are  said  to  be  practised.  Perhaps 
Death  himself  might  be  the  cook. 

Personify  the  century,  —  talk  of  its  present  middle 
age,  —  of  its  youth,  —  and  its  adventures  and  prospects. 

8*  L 


178  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1850. 

An  uneducated  countryman,  supposing  he  had  a  live 
frog  in  his  stomach,  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
medicine  in  order  to  find  a  cure  for  this  disease  ;  and  he 
became  a  profound  physician.  Thus  misfortune,  physi 
cal  or  moral,  may  be  the  means  of  educating  and  elevat 
ing  us. 

"  Mather's  Manduction  and  Ministerium,"  —  or  "  Di 
rections  for  a  candidate "  for  the  ministry,  —  with  the 
autographs  of  four  successive  clergymen  in  it,  all  of  them, 
at  one  time  or  another,  residents  of  the  old  Manse, — • 
Daniel  Bliss,  1734  ;  William  Emerson,  1770  ;  Ezra  Rip- 
ley,  1781  ;  and  Samuel  Ripley,  son  of  the  preceding.  The 
book,  according  to  a  Lafin  memorandum,  was  sold  to 
Daniel  Bliss  by  Daniel  Bremer,  who,  I  suppose,  was 
another  student  of  divinity.  Printed  at  Boston  "  for 
Thomas  Hancock,  and  sold  at  his  shop  in  Ann  St. 
near  the  Draw  Bridge,  1726."  William  Emerson  was 
son-in-law  of  Daniel  Bliss.  Ezra  Ripley  married  the 
widow  of  said  William  Emerson,  and  Samuel  Ripley 
was  their  son. 

Mrs.  Prescott  has  an  ox  whose  visage  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  Daniel  Webster,  —  a  majestic  brute. 

The  spells  of  witches  have  the  power  of  producing 
meats  and  viands  that  have  the  appearance  of  a  sumptu 
ous  feast,  which  the  Devil  furnishes.  But  a  Divine 
Providence  seldom  permits  the  meat  to  be  good,  but 
it  has  generally  some  bad  taste  or  smell,  —  mostly 
wants  salt,  —  and  the  feast  is  often  without  bread. 

An  article  on  cemeteries,  with  fantastic  ideas  of  mon- 


1850. j  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  179 

uments  ;  for  instance,  a  sun-dial ;  —  a  large,  wide  carved 
stone  chair,  with  some  such  motto  as  "  Rest  and  Think," 
and  others,  facetious  or  serious. 

*  Mamma,  I  see  a  part  of  your  smile,"  —  a  child  to 
her  mother,  whose  mouth  was  partly  covered  by  her 
hand. 

"The  syrup  of  my  bosom,"  —  an  improvisation  of  a 
little  girl,  addressed  to  an  imaginary  child. 

"The  wind-turn,"  "the  lightning-catch,"  a  child's 
phrases  for  weathercock  and  lightning-rod. 

"  Where  's  the  man-mountain  of  these  Liliputs  ? " 
cried  a  little  boy.  as  he  looked  at  a  small  engraving  of 
the  Greeks  getting  into  the  wooden  horse. 

When  the  sun  shines  brightly  on  the  new  snow,  we 
discover  ranges  of  hills,  miles  away  towards  the  south, 
which  we  have  never  seen  before. 

To  have  the  North  Pole  for  a  fishing-pole,  and  the 
Equinoctial  Line  for  a  fishing-line. 

If  we  consider  the  lives  of  the  lower  animals,  we  shall 
see  in  them  a  close  parallelism  to  those  of  mortals  ;  — 
toil,  struggle,  danger,  privation,  mingled  with  glimpses 
of  peace  and  ease ;  enmity,  affection,  a  continual  hope 
of  bettering  themselves,  although  their  objects  lie  at  less 
distance  before  them  than  ours  can  do.  Thus,  no  argu 
ment  for  the  imperfect  character  of  our  existence  and 
its  delusory  promises,  and  its  apparent  injustice,  can  be 


180  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [l85l. 

drawn  in  reference  to  our  immortality,  without,  in  a  de 
gree,  being  applicable  to  our  brute  brethren. 

Lenox,  February  12th,  1851.  —  A  walk  across  the 
lake  with  Una.  A  heavy  rain,  some  days  ago,  has 
melted  a  good  deal  of  the  snow  on  the  intervening  de 
scent  between  our  house  and  the  lake  ;  but  many  drifts, 
depths,  and  levels  yet  remain ;  and  there  is  a  frozen 
crust,  sufficient  to  bear  a  man's  weight,  and  very  slip 
pery.  Adown  the  slopes  there  are  tiny  rivulets,  which 
exist  only  for  the  winter.  Bare,  brown  spaces  of  grass 
here  and  there,  but  still  so  infrequent  as  only  to  diver 
sify  the  scene  a  little.  In  the  woods,  rocks  emerging, 
and,  where  there  is  a  slope  immediately  towards  the 
lake,  the  snow  is  pretty  much  gone,  and  we  see  partridge- 
berries  frozen,  and  outer  shells  of  walnuts,  and  chestnut- 
burrs,  heaped  or  scattered  among  the  roots  of  the  trees. 
The  walnut-husks  mark  the  place  where  the  boys,  after 
nutting,  sat  down  to  clear  the  walnuts  of  their  outer 
shell.  The  various  species  of  pine  look  exceedingly 
brown  just  now,  —  less  beautiful  than  those  trees  which 
shed  their  leaves.  An  oak-tree,  with  almost  all  its  brown 
foliage  still  rustling  on  it.  We  clamber  down  the  bank, 
and  step  upon  the  frozen  lake.  It  was  snow-covered 
for  a  considerable  time ;  but  the  rain  overspread  it  with 
a  surface  of  water,  or  imperfectly  melted  snow,  which 
is  now  hard  frozen  again  ;  and  the  thermometer  having 
been  frequently  below  zero,  I  suppose  the  ice  may  be 
four  or  five  feet  thick.  Frequently  there  are  great 
cracks  across  it,  caused,  I  suppose,  by  the  air  beneath; 
and  giving  an  idea  of  greater  firmness  than  if  there  were 
no  cracks  ;  round  holes,  which  have  been  hewn  in  the 


1851. "j  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  181 

marble  pavement  by  fishermen,  and  are  now  frozen  over 
again,  looking  darker  than  the  rest  of  the  surface ;  spaces 
where  the  snow  was  more  imperfectly  dissolved  than 
elsewhere ;  little  crackling  spots,  where  a  thin  surface 
of  ice,  over  the  real  mass,  crumples  beneath  one's  foot ; 
the  track  of  a  line  of  footsteps,  most  of  them  vaguely 
formed,  but  some  quite  perfectly,  where  a  person  passed 
across  the  lake  while  its  surface  was  in  a  state  of  slush, 
but  which  are  now  as  hard  as  adamant,  and  remind  one 
of  the  traces  discovered  by  geologists  in  rocks  that  hard 
ened  thousands  of  ages  ago.  It  seems  as  if  the  person 
passed  when  the  lake  was  in  an  intermediate  state  be 
tween  ice  and  water.  In  one  spot  some  pine  boughs, 
which  somebody  had  cut  and  heaped  there  for  an  un 
known  purpose.  In  the  centre  of  the  lake,  we  see  the 
surrounding  hills  in  a  new  attitude,  this  being  a  basin 
in  the  midst  of  them.  Where  they  are  covered  with 
wood,  the  aspect  is  gray  or  black  ;  then  there  are  bare 
slopes  of  unbroken  snow,  the  outlines  and  indentations 
being  much  more  hardly  and  firmly  defined  than  in  sum 
mer.  We  went  southward  across  the  lake,  directly  to 
wards  Monument  Mountain,  which  reposes,  as  I  said, 
like  a  headless  sphinx.  Its  prominences,  projections,  and 
roughnesses  are  very  evident ;  and  it  does  not  present  a 
smooth  and  placid  front,  as  when  the  grass  is  green  and 
the  trees  in  leaf.  At  one  end,  too,  we  are  sensible  of  pre 
cipitous  descents,  black  and  shaggy  with  the  forest  that 
is  likely  always  to  grow  there  ;  and,  in  one. streak,  a 
headlong  sweep  downward  of  snow.  We  just  set  our 
feet  on  the  farther  shore,  and  then  immediately  returned, 
facing  the  northwest  wind,  which  blew  very  sharply 
against  us. 


132  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [l85j. 

After  landing,  we  came  homeward,  tracing  up  the 
little  brook  so  far  as  it  lay  in  our  course.  It  was  consid 
erably  swollen,  and  rushed  fleetly  on  its  course  between 
overhanging  banks  of  snow  and  ice,  from  which  de 
pended  adamantine  icicles.  The  little  waterfalls  with 
which  we  had  impeded  it  in  the  summer  and  autumn, 
could  do  no  more  than  form  a  large  ripple,  so  much 
greater  was  the  volume  of  water.  In  some  places  the 
crust  of  frozen  snow  made  a  bridge  quite  over  the  brook ; 
so  that  you  only  knew  it  was  there  by  its  brawling  sound 
beneath. 

The  sunsets  of  winter  are  incomparably  splendid, 
and  when  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow,  no  brilliancy 
of  tint  expressible  by  words  can  come  within  an  infinite 
distance  of  the  effect.  Our  southern  view  at  that  time, 
with  the  clouds  and  atmospherical  hues,  is  quite  inde 
scribable  and  unimaginable  ;  and  the  various  distances  of 
the  hills  which  lie  between  us  and  the  remote  dome  of 
Taconic,  are  brought  out  with  an  accuracy  unattainable 
in  summer.  The  transparency  of  the  air  at  this  season 
has  the  effect  of  a  telescope  in  bringing  objects  appar 
ently  near,  while  it  leaves  the  scene  all  its  breadth. 
The  sunset  sky,  amidst  its  splendor,  has  a  softness  and 
delicacy  that  impart  themselves  to  a  white  marble 
world. 

February  18^.  —  A  walk,  yesterday  afternoon,  with 
the  children  ;  a  bright,  and  rather  cold  day,  breezy  from 
the  north  and  westward.  There  has  been  a  good  deal 
of  soaking  rain  lately,  and  it  has,  in  great  measure, 
cleared  hills  and  plains  of  snow,  only  it  may  be  seen 
lying  in  spots,  and  on  each  side  of  stone  walls,  in  a 


1851.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  183 

pretty  broad  streak.  The  grass  is  brown  and  withered, 
and  yet,  scattered  all  amongst  it,  on  close  inspection, 
one  finds  a  greenness,  —  little  shrubs  that  have  kept 
green  under  all  the  severity  of  winter,  and  seem  to  need 
no  change  to  fit  them  for  midsummer.  In  the  woods 
we  see  stones  covered  with  moss  that  retains  likewise  a 
most  lively  green.  Where  the  trees  are  dense,  the 
snow  still  lies  under  them.  On  the  sides  of  the  moun 
tains,  some  miles  off,  the  black  pines  and  the  white 
snow  among  them  together  produce  a  gray  effect.  The 
little  streams  are  the  most  interesting  objects  at  this 
time ;  some  that  have  an  existence  only  at  this  season, 
—  Mississippis  of  the  moment,  —  yet  glide  and  tumble 
along  as  if  they  were  perennial.  The  familiar  ones 
seem  strange  by  their  breadth  and  volume ;  their  little 
waterfalls  set  off  by  glaciers  on  a  small  scale.  The  sun 
has  by  this  time  force  enough  to  make  sheltered  nooks 
in  the  angles  of  woods,  or  on  banks,  warm  and  comforta 
ble.  The  lake  is  still  of  adamantine  substance,  but  all 
round  the  borders  there  is  a  watery  margin,  altogether 
strewed  or  covered  with  thin  and  broken  ice,  so  that  I 
could  not  venture  on  it  with  the  children.  A  chickadee 
was  calling  in  the  woods  yesterday,  —  the  only  small  bird 
I  have  taken  note  of  yet ;  but  crows  have  been  cawing 
in  the  woods  for  a  week  past,  though  not  in  very  great 
numbers. 

February  22d.  —  For  the  last  two  or  three  days 
there  has  been  a  warm,  soaking,  southeasterly  rain, 
with  a  spongy  moisture  diffused  through  the  atmosphere. 
The  snow  has  disappeared,  except  in  spots  which  are 
the  ruins  of  high  drifts,  and  patches  far  up  on  the  hill- 


184  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1851 

sides.  The  mists  rest  all  day  long  on  the  brows  of  the 
hills  that  shut  in  our  valley.  The  road  over  which  I 
walk  every  day  to  and  from  the  village  is  in  the  worst 
state  of  mud  and  mire,  soft,  slippery,  nasty  to  tread 
upon ;  while  the  grass  beside  it  is  scarcely  better,  being 
BO  oozy  and  so  overflowed  with  little  streams,  and  some 
times  an  absolute  bog.  The  rivulets  race  along  the 
road,  adown  the  hills ;  and  wherever  there  is  a  perma 
nent  brooklet,  however  generally  insignificant,  it  is  now 
swollen  into  importance,  and  the  rumble  and  tumble  of 
its  waterfalls  may  be  heard  a  long  way  off.  The 
general  effect  of  the  day  and  scenery  is  black,  black, 
black.  The  streams  are  all  as  turbid  as  mud-puddles. 

Imitators  of  original  authors  might  be  compared  to 
plaster  casts  of  marble  statues,  or  the  imitative  book  to 
a  cast  of  the  original  marble. 

March  \\th.  —  After  the  ground  had  been  completely 
freed  of  snow,  there  has  been  a  snow-storm  for  the  two 
days  preceding  yesterday,  which  made  the  earth  all 
white  again.  This  morning,  at  sunrise,  the  thermometer 
stood  at  about  18°  above  zero.  Monument  Mountain 
stands  out  in  great  prominence,  with  its  dark  forest- 
covered  sides,  and  here  and  there  a  large,  white  patch, 
indicating  tillage  or  pasture  land ;  but  making  a  gener 
ally  dark  contrast  with  the  white  expanse  of  the  frozen 
and  snow-covered  lake  at  its  base,  and  the  more  undu 
lating  white  of  the  surrounding  country.  Yesterday, 
under  the  sunshine  of  midday,  and  with  many  volumi 
nous  clouds  hanging  over  it,  and  a  mist  of  wintry 
warmth  in  the  air,  it  had  a  kind  of  visionary  aspect, 


1851.J  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  185 

although  still  it  was  brought  out  in  striking  relief.  But 
though  one  could  see  all  its  bulgings,  round  swells,  and 
precipitous  abruptnesses,  it  looked  as  much  akin  to  the 
clouds  as  to  solid  earth  and  rock  substance.  In  the 
early  sunshine  of  the  morning,  the  atmosphere  being 
very  clear,  I  saw  the  dome  of  Taconic  with  more  dis 
tinctness  than  ever  before,  the  snow-patches  and  brown, 
uncovered  soil  on  its  round  head  being  fully  visible. 
Generally  it  is  but  a  dark  blue  unvaried  mountain-top. 
All  the  ruggedness  of  the  intervening  hill-country  was 
likewise  effectively  brought  out.  There  seems  to  be  a 
sort  of  illuminating  quality  in  new  snow,  which  it  loses 
after  being  exposed  for  a  day  or  two  to  the  sun  and 
atmosphere. 

For  a  child's  story,  —  the  voyage  of  a  little  boat, 
made  of  a  chip,  with  a  birch-bark  sail,  down  a  river. 

March  31st.  —  A  walk  with  the  children  yesterday 
forenoon.  We  went  through  the  wood,  where  we  found 
partridge-berries,  half  hidden  among  the  dry,  fallen 
leaves ;  thence  down  to  the  brook.  This  little  brook 
has  not  cleansed  itself  from  the  disarray  of  the  past 
autumn  and  winter,  and  is  much  embarrassed  and 
choked  up  with  brown  leaves,  twigs,  and  bits  of  branches. 
It  rushes  along  merrily  and  rapidly,  gurgling  cheerfully, 
and  tumbling  over  the  impediments  of  stones  with 
which  the  children  and  I  made  little  waterfalls  last  year. 
At  many  spots,  there  are  small  basins  or  pools  of  calmer 
and  smoother  depth,  —  three  feet,  perhaps,  in  diameter, 
and  a  foot  or  two  deep,  —  in  which  little  fish  are 
already  sporting  about;  all  elsewhere  is  tumble  and 


186  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [185L 

gurgle  and  mimic  turbulence,  I  sat  on  the  withered 
leaves  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  while  the  children  played,  a 
little  brook  being  the  most  fascinating  plaything  that  a 
child  can  have.  Una  jumped  to  and  fro  across  it; 
Julian  stood  beside  a  pool,  fishing  with  a  stick,  without 
hook  or  line,  and  wondering  that  he  caught  nothing. 
Then  he  made  new  waterfalls  with  mighty  labor,  pulling 
big  stones  out  of  the  earth,  and  flinging  them  into  the 
current.  Then  they  sent  branches  of  trees,  or  the  outer 
shells  of  walnuts,  sailing  down  the  stream,  and  watched 
their  passages  through  the  intricacies  of  the  way, — how 
they  were  hurried  over  in  a  cascade,  hurried  dizzily 
round  in  a  whirlpool,  or  brought  quite  to  a  stand-still 
amongst  the  collected  rubbish.  At  last  Julian  tumbled 
into  the  brook,  and  was  wetted  through  and  through  so 
that  we  were  obliged  to  come  home ;  he  squelching 
along  all  the  way,  with  his  india-rubber  shoes  full  of 
water. 

There  are  still  patches  of  snow  on  the  hills ;  also  in 
the  woods,  especially  on  the  northern  margins.  The 
lake  is  not  yet  what  we  may  call  thawed  out,  although 
there  is  a  large  space  of  blue  water,  and  the  ice  is 
separated  from  the  shore  everywhere,  and  is  soft,  water- 
soaked,  and  crumbly.  On  favorable  slopes  and  expos 
ures,  the  earth  begins  to  look  green  ;  and  almost  any 
where,  if  one  looks  closely,  one  sees  the  greenness  o/ 
the  grass,  or  of  little  herbage,  amidst  the  brown.  Un 
der  the  nut-trees  are  scattered  some  of  the  nuts  of  last 
year ;  the  walnuts  have  lost  their  virtue,  the  chestnuts 
do  not  seem  to  have  much  taste,  but  the  butternuts  are 
in  no  manner  deteriorated.  The  warmth  of  these  daya 
has  a  mistiness,  and  in  many  respects  resembles  the 


1651.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  187 

Indian  summer,  and  is  not  at  all  provocative  of  physical 
exertion.  Nevertheless,  the  general  impression  is  of 
life,  not  death.  One  feels  that  a  new  season  has  begun. 

Wednesday,  April  %th.  —  There  was  a  great  rain  yes 
terday,  —  wind  from  the  southeast,  and  the  last  visible 
vestige  of  snow  disappeared.  It  was  a  small  patch 
near  the  summit  of  Bald  Mountain,  just  on  the  upper 
verge  of  a  grove  of  trees.  I  saw  a  slight  remnant  of  it 
yesterday  afternoon,  but  to-day  it  is  quite  gone.  The 
grass  comes  up  along  the  roadside  and  on  favorable 
exposures,  with  a  sort  of  green  blush.  Frogs  have  been 
melodious  for  a  fortnight,  and  the  birds  sing  pleasantly. 

April  2Qth.  —  The  children  found  Houstonias  more 
than  a  week  ago.  There  have  been  easterly  wind,  con 
tinual  cloudiness,  and  occasional  rain  for  a  week.  This 
morning  opened  with  a  great  snow-storm  from  the 
northeast,  one  of  the  most  earnest  snow-storms  of  the 
year,  though  rather  more  moist  than  in  midwinter.  The 
earth  is  entirely  covered.  Now,  as  the  day  advances 
towards  noon,  it  shows  some  symptoms  of  turning  to 
rain. 

April  28th.  —  For  a  week  we  have  found  the  trailing 
arbutus  pretty  abundant  in  the  woods.  A  day  or  two 
since,  Una  found  a  few  purple  violets,  and  yesterday  a 
dandelion  in  bloom.  The  fragrance  of  the  arbutus  is 
spicy  and  exquisite. 

May  IQth.  —  In  our  walks  now,  the  children  and  I 
find  blue,  white,  and  golden  violets,  the  former,  especial 
ly,  of  great  size  and  richness.  Houstonias  are  very 


188  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS. 

abundant,  blue-whitening  some  of  the  pastures.  They 
are  a  very  sociable  little  flower,  and  dwell  close  together 
in  communities,  —  sometimes  covering  a  space  no  larger 
than  the  palm  of  the  hand,  but  keeping  one  another  in 
cheerful  heart  and  life,  —  sometimes  they  occupy  a 
much  larger  space.  Lobelia,  a  pink  flower,  growing  in 
the  woods.  Columbines,  of  a  pale  red,  because  they 
have  lacked  sun,  growing  in  rough  and  rocky  places  on 
banks  in  the  copses,  precipitating  towards  the  lake. 
The  leaves  of  the  trees  are  not  yet  out,  but  are  so 
apparent  that  the  woods  are  getting  a  very  decided 
shadow.  Water-weeds  on  the  edge  of  the  lake,  of  a 
deep  green,  with  roots  that  seem  to  have  nothing  to  do 
with  earth,  but  with  water  only. 

May  23d.  —  I  think  the  face  of  nature  can  never 
look  more  beautiful  than  now,  with  this  so  fresh  and 
youthful  green,  —  the  trees  not  being  fully  in  leaf,  yet 
enough  so  to  give  airy  shade  to  the  woods.  The  sun 
shine  fills  them  with  green  light.  Monument  Mountain 
and  its  brethren  are  green,  and  the  lightness  of  the  tint 
takes  away  something  from  their  massiveness  and  ponder 
osity,  and  they  respond  with  livelier  effect  to  the  shine 
and  shade  of  the  sky.  Each  tree  now  within  sight 
stands  out  in  its  own  individuality  of  hue.  This  is  a 
very  windy  day,  and  the  light  shifts  with  magical 
alternation.  In  a  walk  to  the  lake  just  now  with  the 
children,  we  found  abundance  of  flowers,  —  wild  gera 
nium,  violets  of  all  families,  red  columbines,  and  many 
others  known  and  unknown,  besides  innumerable  blos 
soms  of  the  wild  strawberry,  which  has  been  in 
bloom  for  the  past  fortnight.  The  Houstonias  seem 


1851.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  189 

quite  to  overspread  some  pastures,  when  viewed  from 
a  distance.  Not  merely  the  flowers,  but  the  various 
shrubs  which  one  sees,  —  seated,  for  instance,  on  the 
decayed  trunk  of  a  tree,  —  are  well  worth  looking  at, 
such  a  variety  and  such  enjoyment  they  have  of  their 
new  growth.  Amid  these  fresh  creations,  we  see  others 
that  have  already  run  their  course,  and  have  done 
with  warmth  and  sunshine,  —  the  hoary  periwigs,  I 
mean,  of  dandelions  gone  to  seed. 

August  7th.  —  Fourier  states  that,  in  the  progress  of 
the  world,  the  ocean  is  to  lose  its  saltness,  and  acquire 
the  taste  of  a  peculiarly  flavored  lemonade. 

October  13th.  —  How  pleasant  it  is  to  see  a  human 
countenance  which  cannot  be  insincere,  —  in  reference 
to  baby's  smile. 

The  best  of  us  being  unfit  to  die,  what  an  inexpressi 
ble  absurdity  to  put  the  worst  to  death ! 

"Is  that  a  burden  of  sunshine  on  Apollo's  back?" 
asked  one  of  the  children,  —  of  the  chlamys  on  our 
Apollo  Belvedere. 

October  21st. —  Going  to  the  village  yesterday  after 
noon,  I  saw  the  face  of  a  beautiful  woman,  gazing  at  me 
from  a  cloud.  It  was  the  full  face,  not  the  bust.  It 
had  a  sort  of  mantle  on  the  head,  and  a  pleasant  expres 
sion  of  countenance.  The  vision  lasted  while  I  took  a 
few  steps,  and  then  vanished.  I  never  before  saw  nearly 
so  distinct  a  cloud-picture,  or  rather  sculpture;  for  it 
<ame  out  in  alto-rilievo  on  the  body  of  the  cloud. 


190  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1851. 

October  27th.  —  The  ground  this  morning  is  white 
with  a  thin  covering  of  snow.  The  foliage  has  still 
some  variety  of  hue.  The  dome  of  Taconic  looks  dark, 
and  seems  to  have  no  snow  on  it,  though  I  don't  under 
stand  how  that  can  be.  I  saw,  a  moment  ago,  on  the 
lake,  a  very  singular  spectacle.  There  is  a  high  north 
west  wind  ruffling  the  lake's  surface,  and  making  it  blue, 
lead-colored,  or  bright,  in  stripes  or  at  intervals;  but 
what  I  saw  was  a  boiling  up  of  foam,  which  began 
at  the  right  bank  of  the  lake,  and  passed  quite  across 
it ;  and  the  mist  flew  before  it,  like  the  cloud  out  of  a 
steam-engine.  A  fierce  and  narrow  blast  of  wind  must 
have  ploughed  the  water  in  a  straight  line,  from  side  to 
side  of  the  lake.  As  fast  as  it  went  on,  the  foam  sub 
sided  behind  it,  so  that  it  looked  somewhat  like  a  sea- 
serpent,  or  other  monster,  swimming  very  rapidly. 

October  29^.  —  On  a  walk  to  Scott's  pond,  with 
Ellery  Channing,  we  found  a  wild  strawberry  in  the 
woods,  not  quite  ripe,  but  beginning  to  redden.  For  a 
week  or  two,  the  cider-mills  have  been  grinding  apples. 
Immense  heaps  of  apples  lie  piled  near  them,  and  the 
creaking  of  the  press  is  heard  as  the  horse  treads  on. 
Farmers  are  repairing  cider-barrels ;  and  the  wayside 
brook  is  made  to  pour  itself  into  the  bunghole  of  a  bar 
rel,  in  order  to  cleanse  it  for  the  new  cider. 

November  3d.  —  The  face  of  the  country  is  dreary 
now  in  a  cloudy  day  like  the  present.  The  woods  on 
the  hillsides  look  almost  black,  and  the  cleared  spaces  a 
kind  of  gray  brown. 

Taconic,  this  morning  (4th),  was  a  black  purple,  as 


1852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  191 

derive  and  distinct  as  Monument  Mountain  itself.  I 
hear  the  creaking  of  the  cider-press ;  the  patient  horse 
going  round  and  round,  perhaps  thirsty,  to  make  the 
liquor  which  he  never  can  enjoy. 

We  left  Lenox  Friday  morning,  November  21,  1851, 
in  a  storm  of  snow  and  sleet,  and  took  the  cars  at  Pitts- 
field,  and  arrived  at  West  Newton  that  evening. 

Happiness  in  this  world,  when  it  comes,  comes  inci 
dentally,  Make  it  the  object  of  pursuit,  and  it  leads  us 
a  wild-goose  chase,  and  is  never  attained.  Follow  some 
other  object,  and  very  possibly  we  may  find  that  we 
have  caught  happiness,  without  dreaming  of  it ;  but 
likely  enough  it  is  gone  the  moment  we  say  to  ourselves, 
"  Here  it  is  ! "  like  the  chest  of  gold  that  treasure-seek 
ers  find. 

West  Newton,  April  13th,  1852.  —  One  of  the  severest 
snow-storms  of  the  winter. 

April  30th.  —  Wrote  the  last  page  (199th  MS.)  of 
the  Blithedale  Romance. 

May  1st.  —  Wrote  Preface.  Afterwards  modified  the 
conclusion,  and  lengthened  it  to  201  pages.  First  proof- 
sheets,  May  14. 

Concord,  Mass.,  August  20th.  — A  piece  of  land  con 
tiguous  to  and  connected  with  a  handsome  estate,  to  the 
adornment  and  good  appearance  of  which  it  was  essen 
tial.  But  the  owner  of  the  strip  of  land  was  at  van 


192  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1853L 

ance  with  the  owner  of  the  estate,  so  he  always  refused 
to  sell  it  at  any  price,  but  let  it  lie  there,  wild  and  rag 
ged,  in  front  of  and  near  the  mansion-house.  When  he 
dies,  the  owner  of  the  estate,  who  has  rejoiced  at  the 
approach  of  the  event  all  through  his  enemy's  illness, 
hopes  at  last  to  buy  it ;  but,  to  his  infinite  discomfiture, 
the  enemy  enjoined  in  his  will  that  his  body  should  be 
buried  in  the  centre  of  this  strip  of  land.  All  sorts  of 
ugly  weeds  grow  most  luxuriantly  out  of  the  grave  in 
poisonous  rankness. 

The  Isles  of  Shoals,  Monday,  August  80th.  —  Left 
Concord  at  a  quarter  of  nine  A.  M.  Friday,  September 
3,  set  sail  at  about  half  past  ten  to  the  Isles  of  Shoals. 
The  passengers  were  an  old  master  of  a  vessel ;  a 
young,  rather  genteel  man  from  Greenland,  N.  H.  ;  two 
Yankees  from  Hamilton  and  Danvers  ;  and  a  country 
trader  (I  should  judge)  fro/n  some  inland  town  of  New 
Hampshire.  The  old  sea-captain,  preparatory  to  sail 
ing,  bought  a  bunch  of  cigars  (they  cost  ten  cents),  and 
occasionally  puffed  one.  The  two  Yankees  had  brought 
guns  on  board,  and  asked  questions  about  the  fishing  of 
the  Shoals.  They  were  young  men,  brothers,  the 
youngest  a  shopkeeper  in  Danvers,  the  other  a  farmer, 
I  imagine,  at  Hamilton,  ayid  both  specimens  of  the  least 
polished  kind  of  Yankee,  and  therefore  proper  to  those 
localities.  They  were  at  first  full  of  questions,  and 
greatly  interested  in  whatever  was  going  forward ;  but 
anon  the  shopkeeper  began  to  grow,  first  a  Mttle,  then 
very  sick,  till  he  lay  along  the  boat,  longing,  as  he  after 
wards  said,  for  a  little  fresh  water  to  be  drowned  in. 
His  brother  attended  him  in  a  very  kindly  way,  but 


1852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  193 

became  sick  himself  before  he  reached  the  end  of  the 
voyage. 

The  young  Greenlander  talked  politics,  or  rather  dis 
cussed  the  personal  character  of  Pierce.  The  New 
Hampshire  trader  said  not  a  word,  or  hardly  one,  all 
the  way.  A  Portsmouth  youth  (whom  I  forgot  to  men 
tion)  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  looking  very  white. 
The  skipper  of  the  boat  is  a  Norwegian,  a  good- 
natured  fellow,  not  particularly  intelligent,  and  speak 
ing  in  a  dialect  somewhat  like  Irish.  He  had  a  man 
with  him,  a  silent  and  rather  sulky  fellow,  who,  at  the 
captain's  bidding,  grimly  made  himself  useful. 

The  wind  not  being  favorable,  we  had  to  make  sev 
eral  tacks  before  reaching  the  islands,  where  we  arrived 
at  about  two  o'clock.  We  landed  at  Appledore,  on 
which  is  Laighton's  Hotel,  —  a  large  building  with  a 
piazza  or  promenade  before  it,  about  an  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  in  length,  or  more, — yes,  it  must  be  more. 
It  is  an  edifice  with  a  centre  and  two  wings,  the  central 
part  upwards  of  seventy  feet.  At  one  end  of  the  prom 
enade  is  a  covered  veranda,  thirty  or  forty  feet  square, 
so  situated  that  the  breeze  draws  across  it  from  the  sea 
on  one  side  of  the  island  to  the  sea  on  the  other,  and  it 
is  the  breeziest  and  comfortablest  place  in  the  world  on 
a  hot  day.  There  are  two  swings  beneath  it,  and  here 
one  may  sit  or  walk,  and  enjoy  life,  while  all  other 
mortals  are  suffering. 

As  I  entered  the  door  of  the  hotel,  there  met  me  a 
short,  corpulent,  round,  and  full-faced  man,  rather  elder 
ly,  if  not  old.  He  was  a  little  lame.  He  addressed  me 
in  a  hearty,  hospitable  tone,  and,  judging  that  it  must 
be  mv  landlord,  I  delivered  a  letter  of  introduction  from 

VOL.    II.  9  M 


194  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

Pierce.  Of  course  it  was  fully  efficient  in  obtaining  tlie 
best  accommodations  that  were  to  be  had.  I  found  that 
we  were  expected,  a  man  having  brought  the  news  of 
our  intention  the  day  before.  Here  ensued  great  in 
quiries  after  the  General,  and  wherefore  he  had  not 
come.  I  was  looked  at  with  considerable  curiosity  on 
my  own  account,  especially  by  the  ladies,  of  whom  there 
were  several,  agreeable  and  pretty  enough.  There  were 
four  or  five  gentlemen,  most  of  whom  had  not  much  that 
was  noteworthy. 

After  dinner,  which  was  good  and  abundant,  though 
somewhat  rude  in  its  style,  I  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Laighton  to  Mr.  Thaxter,  his  son-in-law,  and  Mr.  Weiss, 
a  clergyman  of  New  Bedford,  who  is  staying  here  for 
his  health.  They  showed  me  some  of  the  remarkable 
features  of  the  island,  such  as  a  deep  chasm  in  the  cliffs 
of  the  shore,  towards  the  southwest ;  also  a  monument 
of  rude  stones,  on  the  highest  point  of  the  island,  said  to 
have  been  erected  by  Captain  John  Smith  before  the 
settlement  at  Plymouth.  The  tradition  is  just  as  good 
as  truth.  Also,  some  ancient  cellars,  with  thistles  and 
other  weeds  growing  in  them,  and  old  fragmentary 
bricks  scattered  about.  The  date  of  these  habitations  is 
not  known  ;  but  they  may  well  be  the  remains  of  the 
settlement  that  Cotton  Mather  speaks  about;  or  per 
haps  one  of  them  was  the  house  where  Sir  William 
Pepperell  was  born,  and  where  he  went  when  he  and 
somebody  else  set  up  a  stick,  and  travelled  to  seek  their 
fortunes  in  the  direction  in  which  it  fell. 

In  the  evening,  the  company  at  the  hotel  made  up  two 
whist  parties,  at  one  of  which  I  sat  down,  —  my  partner 
being  an  agreeable  young  lady  from  Portsmouth.  We 


18G2.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  195 

played  till  I,  at  least,  was  quite  weary.  It  had  been 
the  beautifullest  of  weather  all  day,  very  hot  on  the 
main-land,  but  a  delicious  climate  under  our  veranda. 

Saturday,  September  4th.  —  Another  beautiful  day, 
rather  cooler  than  the  preceding,  but  not  too  cool.  I 
can  bear  this  coolness  better  than  mat  of  the  interior. 
In  the  forenoon,  I  took  passage  for  Star  Island,  in  a 
boat  that  crosses  daily  whenever  taere  are  passengers. 
My  companions  were  the  two  YaiiKees,  who  had  quite 
recovered  from  yesterday's  sickness,  and  were  in  the 
best  of  spirits  and  the  utmost  activity  of  mind  of  which 
they  were  capable.  Never  was  tiiere  such  a  string  of 
questions  as  they  directed  to  the  boatman,  —  questions 
that  seemed  to  have  no  gist,  so  far  as  related  to  any  use 
that  could  be  made  of  the  answers.  They  appear  to  be 
very  good  young  men,  however,  well-meaning,  and  with 
manners  not  disagreeable,  because  their  hearts  are  not 
amiss.  Star  Island  is  less  than  a  mile  from  Apple- 
dore.  It  is  the  most  populous  island  of  the  group,  — 
has  been,  for  three  or  four  years,  an  incorporated  town 
ship,  and  sends  a  representative  to  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature.  The  number  of  voters  is  variously  repre 
sented  as  from  eighteen  to  twenty-eight.  The  inhabitants 
are  all,  I  presume,  fishermen.  Their  houses  stand  in 
pretty  close  neighborhood  to  one  another,  scattered  about 
without  the  slightest  regularity  or  pretence  of  a  street, 
there  being  no  wheel-carriages  on  the  island.  Some  of 
the  houses  are  very  comfortable  two-story  dwellings.  I 
saw  two  or  three,  I  think,  with  flowers.  There  arc  also 
one  or  two  trees  on  the  island.  There  is  a  strong  odor 
of  fishiness,  and  the  little  cove  is  full  of  mackerel-boats, 


196  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

end  other  small  craft  for  fishing,  in  some  of  which  little 
boys  of  no  growth  at  all  were  paddling  about.  Nearly 
in  the  centre  of  this  insular  metropolis  is  a  two-story 
house,  with  a  flag-staff  in  the  yard.  This  is  the  hotel. 

On  the  highest  point  of  Star  Island  stands  the  church, 
—  a  small,  wooden  structure  ;  and,  sitting  in  its  shadow,  I 
found  a  red-baize-shirted  fisherman,  who  seemed  quite 
willing  to  converse.  He  said  that  there  was  a  minister 
here,  who  was  also  the  schoolmaster ;  but  that  he  did  not 
keep  school  just  now,  because  his  wife  was  very  much 
out  of  health.  The  school-house  stood  but  a  little  way 
from  the  meeting-house,  and  near  it  was  the  minister's 
dwelling ;  and  by  and  by  I  had  a  glimpse  of  the  good 
man  himself,  in  his  suit  of  black,  which  looked  in  very 
decent  condition  at  the  distance  from  which  I  viewed 
it.  His  clerical  air  was  quite  distinguishable,  and  it  was 
rather  curious  to  see  it,  when  everybody  else  wore  red- 
baize  shirts  and  fishing-boots,  and  looked  of  the  scaly 
genus.  He  did  not  approach  me,  and  I  saw  him  no 
nearer.  I  soon  grew  weary  of  Gosport,  arid  was  glad 
to  re-embark,  although  I  intend  to  revisit  the  island  with 
Mr.  Thaxter,  and  see  more  of  its  peculiarities  and  in 
habitants.  I  saw  one  old  witch-looking  woman  creep 
ing  about  with  a  cane,  and  stooping  down,  seemingly  to 
gather  herbs.  On  mentioning  her  to  Mr.  Thaxter,  after 
my  return,  he  said  that  it  was  probably  "  the  bearded 
woman."  I  did  not  observe  her  beard  ;  but  very  likely 
ehe  may  have  had  one. 

The  larger  part  of  the  company  at  the  hotel  returned 
to  the  main-land  to-day.  There  remained  behind,  how 

ever,  a   Mr.  T from   Newburyport,  —  a  man  of 

natural  refinement,  and  a  taste  for  readin«  that  seems  to 


1852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  197 

point  towards  the  writings  of  Emerson,  Thoreau,  and 
men  of  that  class.  I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  talk  with 
him,  and  at  first  doubted  whether  he  might  not  be  a 
clergyman  ;  but  Mr.  Thaxter  tells  me  that  he  has  made 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  — was  once  a  sailor  before  the 
mast,  and  is  now  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He 
looks  like  nothing  of  this  kind,  being  tall  and  slender, 
with  very  quiet  manners,  not  beautiful,  though  pleasing 
from  the  refinement  that  they  indicate.  He  has  rather 
a  precise  and  careful  pronunciation,  but  yet  a  natural 
ivay  of  talking. 

In  the  afternoon  I  walked  round  a  portion  of  the  isl- 
ind  that  I  had  not  previously  visited,  and  in  the  even 
ing  went  with  Mr.  Titcomb  to  Mr.  Thaxter's  to  drink 
jipple-toddy.  We  found  Mrs.  Thaxter  sitting  in  a  neat 
iittle  parlor,  very  simply  furnished,  but  in  good  taste. 
3he  is  not  now,  I  believe,  more  than  eighteen  years  old, 
/ery  pretty,  and  with  the  manners  of  a  lady,  —  not 
mm  and  precise,  but  with  enough  of  freedom  and  ease. 
The  books  on  the  table  were  "  Pre-Raphaelitism,"  a 
tract  on  spiritual  mediums,  &c.  There  were  several 
shelves  of  books  on  one  side  of  the  room,  and  engravings 
on  the  walls.  Mr.  Weiss  was  there,  and  I  do  not  know 
'but  he  is  an  inmate  of  Mr.  Thaxter's.  By  and  by  came 
m  Mr.  Thaxter's  brother,  with  a  young  lady  whose 
position  I  do  not  know,  —  either  a  sister  or  the  brother's 
wife.  Anon,  too,  came  in  the  apple-toddy,  a  very  rich 
4nd  spicy  compound;  after  which  we  had  some  glees 
ind  negro  melodies,  in  which  Mr.  Thaxter  sang  a  noble 
bass,  and  Mrs.  Thaxter  sang  like  a  bird,  and  Mr.  Weiss 
jang,  I  suppose,  tenor,  and  the  brother  took  sonre  othei 


198  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

part,  and  all  were  very  mirthful  and  jolly.  At  about 
ten  o'clock  Mr.  Titcomb  and  myself  took  leave,  and 
emerging  into  the  open  air,  out  of  that  room  of  song, 
and  pretty  youthfulness  of  woman,  and  gay  young  men, 
there  was  the  sky,  and  the  three-quarters  waning  moon, 
and  the  old  sea  moaning  all  round  about  the  island. 

Sunday,  September  5th.  —  To-day  I  have  done  little  or 
nothing  except  to  roam  along  the  shore  of  the  island,  and 
to  sit  under  the  piazza,  talking  with  Mr.  Laighton  or  some 
of  his  half-dozen  guests  ;  and  about  an  hour  before 
dinner  I  came  up  to  my  room,  and  took  a  brief  nap. 
Since  dinner  I  have  been  writing  the  foregoing  journal. 
I  observe  that  the  Fanny  Ellsler,  our  passenger  and 
mail  boat,  has  arrived  from  Portsmouth,  and  now  lies  in 
a  little  cove,  moored  to  the  rocky  shore,  with  a  flag 
flying  at  her  main-mast.  We  have  been  watching  her 
for  some  hours,  but  she  stopped  to  fish,  and  then  went 
to  some  other  island,  before  putting  in  here.  I  must  go 
and  see  what  news  she  has  brought. 

"  What  did  you  fire  at  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  Yankees  just 
now  of  a  boy  who  had  been  firing  a  gun.  "  Nothing," 
said  the  boy.  "  Did  you  hit  it  ?  "  rejoined  the  Yankee. 

The  farmer  is  of  a  much  ruder  and  rougher  mould 
than  his  brother,  —  heavier  in  frame  and  mind,  and  far 
less  cultivated.  It  was  on  this  account,  probably,  that 
he  labored  as  a  farmer,  instead  of  setting  up  a  shop. 
When  it  is  warm,  as  yesterday,  he  takes  off  his  coat,  and, 
not  minding  whether  or  no  his  shirt-sleeves  be  soiled, 
goes  in  this  guise  to  meals  or  wherever  else,  —  not 
resuming  his  coat  as  long  as  he  is  more  comfortable 
without  it.  His  shoulders  have  a  stoop,  and  altogether 


1852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  19? 

his  air  is  that  of  a  farmer  in  repose.  His  brother  is 
handsome,  and  might  have  quite  the  aspect  of  a  smart, 
comely  young  man,  if  well  dressed. 

This  island  is  said  to  be  haunted  by  a  spectre  called 
*'  Old  Bab."  He  was  one  of  Captain  Kidd's  men,  and 
was  slain  for  the  protection  of  the  treasure.  Mr. 
Laighton  said  that,  before  he  built  his  house,  nothing 
would  have  induced  the  inhabitant  of  another  island  to 
come  to  this  after  nightfall.  The  ghost  especially 
haunts  the  space  between  the  hotel  and  the  cove  in 
front.  There  has,  in  times  past,  been  great  search  for 
the  treasure. 

Mr.  Thaxter  tells  me  that  the  women  on  the  island 
are  very  timid  as  to  venturing  on  the  sea,  —  more  so 
than  the  women  of  the  main-land,  —  and  that  they  are 
easily  frightened  about  their  husbands.  Very  few  acci 
dents  happen  to  the  boats  or  men,  —  none,  I  think,  since 
Mr.  Thaxter  has  been  here.  They  are  not  an  enter 
prising  set  of  people,  never  liking  to  make  long  voyages. 
Sometimes  one  of  them  will  ship  on  a  voyage  to  the 
West  Indies,  but  generally  only  on  coastwise  trips,  or 
fishing  or  mackerel  voyages.  They  have  a  very  strong 
local  attachment,  and  return  to  die.  They  are  now 
generally  temperate,  formerly  very  much  the  contrary. 

September  5th.  —  A  large  part  of  the  guests  took 
their  departure  after  an  early  breakfast  this  morning, 
including  Mr.  Titcomb,  Mr.  Weiss,  the  two  Yankees,  and 
Mr.  Thaxter,  —  who,  however,  went  as  skipper  or  super 
cargo,  and  will  return  with  the  boat.  I  have  been  fish 
ing  for  cunners  off  the  rocks,  but  with  intolerably  poor 
success.  There  is  nothing  so  dispiriting  as  poor  fishing, 


200  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852, 

and  I  spend  most  of  the  time  with  my  head  on  my 
hands,  looking  at  the  sea  breaking  against  the  rocks, 
shagged  around  the  bases  with  sea-weed.  It  is  a  sunny 
forenoon,  with  a  cool  breeze  from  the  southwest.  The 
mackerel  craft  are  in  the  offing.  Mr.  Laighton  says 
that  the  Spy  (the  boat  which  went  to  the  main-land  this 
morning)  is  now  on  her  return  with  all  her  colors  set ; 
and  he  thinks  that  Pierce  is  on  board,  he  having  sent 
Mr.  Thaxtei  to  invite  him  to  come  in  this  boat. 

Pierce  arrived  before  dinner  in  the  Spy,  accompanied 
by  Judge  Upham  and  his  brother  and  their  wives,  his 
own  wife,  Mr.  Furness,  and  three  young  ladies.  After 
dinner  some  of  the  gentlemen  crossed  over  to  Gosport, 
where  we  visited  the  old  graveyard,  in  which  were 
monuments  to  Rev.  Mr.  Tucke  (died  1773,  after  forty 
years'  settlement)  and  to  another  and  later  minister  of 
the  island.  They  were  of  red  freestone,  lying  horizon 
tally  on  piles  of  the  granite  fragments,  such  as  are 
scattered  all  about.  There  were  other  graves,  marked 
by  the  rudest  shapes  of  stones  at  head  and  foot.  And 
so  many  stones  protruded  from  the  ground,  that  it  was 
wonderful  how  space  and  depth  enough  was  found 
between  them  to  cover  the  dead.  We  went  to  the  house 
of  the  town  clerk  of  Gosport  (a  drunken  fisherman,  Joe 
Caswell  by  name)  and  there  found  the  town  records, 
commencing  in  1732  in  a  beautiful  style  of  penmanship. 
They  are  imperfect,  the  township  having  been  broken 
up,  probably  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  Caswell, 
being  very  drunk,  immediately  put  in  a  petition  to 
Pierce  to  build  a  sea-mole  for  the  protection  of  the 
navigation  of  the  island  when  he  should  be  President. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  ordinary  fisherman'.-  style,  —  red- 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  201 

baize  shirt,  trousers  tucked  into  large  boots,  which,  as 
he  had  just  come  ashore,  were  wet  with  salt  water. 

He  led  us  down  to  the  shore  of  the  island,  towards 
the  east,  and  showed  us  Betty  Moody's  Hole.  This 
Betty  Moody  was  a  woman  of  the  island  in  old  times. 
The  Indians  came  off  on  a  depredating  excursion,  and 
she  fled  from  them  with  a  child,  and  hid  herself  in  this 
hole,  which  is  formed  by  several  great  rocks  being 
lodged  so  as  to  cover  one  of  the  fissures  which  are  com 
mon  along  these  shores.  I  crept  into  the  hole,  which  is 
somewhat  difficult  of  access,  long,  low,  and  narrow,  and 
might  well  enough  be  a  hiding-place.  The  child,  or 
children,  began  to  cry  ;  and  Betty,  fearful  of  discovery, 
murdered  them,  to  save  herself.  Joe  Caswell  did  not 
tell  the  latter  part  of  the  story,  but  Mr.  Thaxter  did. 

Not  far  from  the  spot  there  is  a  point  of  rocks  ex 
tending  out  farther  into  the  ocean  than  the  rest  of  the 
island.  Some  four  or  five  years  ago  there  was  a  young 
woman  residing  at  Gosport  in  the  capacity  of  school 
teacher.  She  was  of  a  romantic  turn,  and  used  to  go 
and  sit  on  this  point  of  rock  to  view  the  waves.  One 
day,  when  the  wind  was  high,  and  the  surf  raging 
against  the  rocks,  a  great  wave  struck  her,  as  she  sat  on 
the  edge,  and  seemed  to  deprive  her  of  sense ;  another 
wave,  or  the  reflex  of  the  same  one,  carried  her  off  into 
the  sea,  and  she  was  seen  no  more.  This  happened,  I 
think,  in  1846. 

Passing  a  rock  near  the  centre  of  the  island,  which 
rose  from  the  soil  about  breast-high,  and  appeared  to 
have  been  split  asunder,  with  an  incalculably  aged  and 
moss-grown  fissure,  the  surfaces  of  which,  however,  pre 
cisely  suited  each  other,  Mr.  Hatch  mentioned  that 


202  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 

there  was  an  idea  among  the  people,  with  regard  to 
rocks  thus  split,  that  they  were  rent  asunder  at  the 
time  of  the  Crucifixion.  Judge  Upham  observed  that 
this  superstition  was  common  in  all  parts  of  the  coun 
try. 

Mr.  Hatch  said  that  he  was  professionally  consulted, 
the  other  day,  by  a  man  who  had  been  digging  for  bur 
ied  treasure  at  Dover  Point,  up  the  Piscataqua  River ; 
and,  while  he  and  his  companions  were  thus  engaged, 
the  owner  of  the  land  came  upon  them,  and  compelled 
Hatch's  client  to  give  him  a  note  for  a  sum  of  money. 
The  object  was  to  inquire  whether  this  note  was  obliga 
tory.  Hatch  says  that  there  are  a  hundred  people 
now  resident  in  Portsmouth,  who,  at  one  time  or  an 
other,  have  dug  for  treasure.  The  process  is,  in  the 
first  place,  to  find  out  the  site  of  the  treasure  by  the 
divining-rod.  A  circle  is  then  described  with  the  steel 
rod  about  the  spot,  and  a  man  walks  around  within  its 
verge,  reading  the  Bible  to  keep  off  the  evil  spirit 
while  his  companions  dig.  If  a  word  is  spoken,  the 
whole  business  is  a  failure.  Once  the  person  who  told 
him  the  story  reached  the  lid  of  the  chest,  so  that  the 
spades  plainly  scraped  upon  it,  when  one  of  the  men 
spoke,  and  the  chest  immediately  moved  sideways  into 
the  earth.  Another  time,  when  he  was  reading  the 
Bible  within  the  circle,  a  creature  like  a  white  horse, 
but  immoderately  large,  came  from  a  distance  towards 
the  circle,  looked  at  him,  and  then  began  to  graze  about 
the  spot.  He  saw  the  motion  of  the  jaws,  but  heard  no 
sound  of  champing.  His  companions  saw  the  gigantic 
horse  precisely  as  he  did,  only  to  them  it  appeared  bay 
instead  of  white. 


/852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  203 

The  islanders  stared  with  great  curiosity  at  Pierce. 
One  pretty  young  woman  appeared  inclined  to  engross 
him  entirely  to  herself. 

There  is  a  bowling-alley  on  the  island,  at  whisk  some 
of  the  young  fishermen  were  rolling. 

September  7th.  — ....  I  have  made  no  exploration 
to-day,  except  a  walk  with  the  guests  in  the  morning, 
but  have  lounged  about  the  piazza  and  veranda.  It  has 
been  a  calm,  warm,  sunny  day,  the  sea  slumbering 
against  the  shores,  and  now  and  then  breaking  into 
white  foam. 

The  surface  of  the  island  is  plentifully  overgrown 
with  whortleberry  and  bayberry  bushes.  The  sheep 
cut  down  the  former,  so  that  few  berries  are  produced ; 
the  latter  gives  a  pleasant  fragrance  when  pressed  in 
the  hand.  The  island  is  one  great  ledge  of  rock,  four 
hundred  acres  in  extent,  with  a  little  soil  thrown  scant 
ily  over  it ;  but  the  bare  rock  everywhere  emerging,  not 
only  in  points,  but  still  more  in  flat  surfaces.  The  only 
trees,  I  think,  are  two  that  Mr.  Laighton  has  been  try 
ing  to  raise  in  front  of  the  hotel,  the  taller  of  which 
looks  scarcely  so  much  as  ten  feet  high.  It  is  now 
about  sunset,  and  the  Fanny,  with  the  mail,  is  just 
arrived  at  the  moorings.  So  still  is  it,  that  the  sounds 
on  board  (as  of  throwing  oars  into  a  small  boat)  are 
distinctly  heard,  though  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off.  She 
has  the  Stars  and  Stripes  flying  at  the  main-mast. 
There  appear  to  be  no  passengers. 

The  only  reptile  on  the  island  is  a  very  vivid  and 
beautiful  green  snake,  which  is^exceedingly  abundant. 
Yesterday,  while  catching  grasshoppers  for  fish-bait,  I 


204  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1853. 

nearly  griped  one  in  my  hand  ;  indeed,  I  rather  think  I 
did  gripe  it.  The  snake  was  as  much  startled  as  my 
self,  and,  in  its  fright,  stood  an  instant  on  its  tail,  before 
it  recovered  presence  of  mind  to  glide  away.  These 
snakes  are  quite  harmless. 

September  8th.  —  Last  evening  we  could  hear  the 
roaring  of  the  beaches  at  Hampton  and  Rye,  nine  miles 
off.  The  surf  likewise  swelled  against  the  rocky 
shores  of  the  island,  though  there  was  little  or  no  wind, 
and,  except  for  the  swell,  the  surface  was  smooth.  The 
sheep  bleated  loudly  ;  and  all  these  tokens,  according  to 
Mr.  Laighton,  foreboded  a  storm  to  windward.  This 
morning,  nevertheless,  there  were  no  further  signs  of  it; 
it  is  sunny  and  calm,  or  only  the  slightest  breeze  from 
the  westward  ;  a  haze  sleeping  along  the  shore,  betoken 
ing  a  warm  day ;  the  surface  of  the  sea  streaked  with 
smoothness,  and  gentle  ruffles  of  wind.  It  has  been  the 
hottest  day  that  I  have  known  here,  and  probably  one 
of  the  hottest  of  the  season  ashore  ;  and  the  land  is  now 
imperceptible  in  the  haze. 

Smith's  monument  is  about  seven  feet  high,  and  prob 
ably  ten  or  twelve  in  diameter  at  its  base.  It  is  a 
cairn,  or  mere  heap  of  stones,  thrown  together  as  they 
came  to  hand,  though  with  some  selection  of  large  and 
flat  ones,  towards  the  base,  and  with  smaller  ones  thrown 
in.  At  the  foundation,  there  are  large  rocks,  naturally 
embedded  in  the  earth.  I  see  no  reason  to  disbelieve 
that  a  part  of  this  monument  may  have  been  erected  by 
Captain  Smith,  although  subsequent  visitors  may  have 
added  to  it.  Laighton  say  it  is  known  to  have  stood 
upwards  of  a  hundred  years.  It  is  a  work  of  consid 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  205 

erable  labor,  and  would  more  likely  have  been  erected 
by  one  who  supposed  himself  the  first  discoverer 
of  the  island  than  by  anybody  afterwards  for  mere 
amusement.  I  observed  in  some  places,  towards  the 
base,  that  the  lichens  had  grown  from  one  stone  to  an 
other  ;  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the 
monument  that  controverts  the  supposition  of  its  an 
tiquity.  It  is  an  irregular  circle,  somewhat  decreasing 
towards  the  top.  Few  of  the  stones,  except  at  the  base, 
are  bigger  than  a  man  could  easily  lift,  —  many  of  them 
are  not  more  than  a  foot  across.  It  stands  towards  the 
southern  part  of  the  island ;  and  all  the  other  islands 
are  visible  from  it,  —  Smutty  Nose,  Star  Island,  and 
White  Island,  —  on  which  is  the  light-house,  —  much 
of  Laighton's  island  (the  proper  name  of  which  is  Hog, 
though  latterly  called  Appledore),  and  Duck  Island, 
which  looks  like  a  mere  reef  of  rocks,  and  about  a  mile 
farther  into  the  ocean,  easterly  of  Hog  Island. 

Laighton's  Hotel,  together  wifu  the  house  in  which  his 
son-in-law  resides,  which  was  likewise  built  by  Laigh- 
ton,  and  stands  about  fifty  yards  from  the  hotel,  occu 
pies  the  middle  of  a  shallow  valley,  which  passes 
through  the  island  from  east  to  west.  Looking  from  the 
veranda,  you  have  the  ocean  opening  towards  the  east, 
and  the  bay  towards  Rye  Beach  and  Portsmouth  on  the 
west.  In  the  same  storm  that  overthrew  Minot's  Light, 
a  year  or  two  ago,  a  great  wave  passed  entirely  through 
this  valley  ;  and  Laighton  describes  it,  when  it  came  in 
from  the  sea,  as  toppling  over  to  the  height  of  the 
cupola  of  his  hotel.  It  roared  and  whitened  through, 
from  sea  to  sea,  twenty  feet  abreast,  rolling  along  huge 
rocks  in  its  passage.  It  passed  beneath  his  veranda, 


206  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

which  stands  on  posts,  and  probably  filled  the  valley 
completely.  Would  I  had  been  here  to  see ! 

The  day  has  been  exceedingly  hot.  Since  dinner, 
the  Spy  has  arrived  from  Portsmouth,  with  a  party  of 
half  a  dozen  or  more  men  and  women  and  children, 
apparently  from  the  interior  of  New  Hampshire.  I  am 
rather  sorry  to  receive  these  strangers  into  the  quiet 
life  that  we  are  leading  here ;  for  we  had  grown  quite 
to  feel  ourselves  at  home,  and  the  two  young  ladies, 
Mr.  Thaxter,  his  wife  and  sister,  and  myself,  met  at 
meal-times  like  one  family.  The  young  ladies  gathered 
shells,  arranged  them,  laughed  gently,  sang,  and  did 
other  pretty  things  in  a  young-lady-like  way.  These 
new-comers  are  people  of  uncouth  voices  and  loud 
laughter,  and  behave  themselves  as  if  they  were  trying 
to  turn  their  expedition  to  as  much  account  as  possible 
in  the  way  of  enjoyment. 

John's  boat,  the  regular  passenger-boat,  is  now  coming 
in,  and  probably  brings  the  mail. 

In  the  afternoon,  while  some  of  the  new-comers  were 
fishing  off  the  rocks,  west  of  the  hotel,  a  shark  came 
close  in  shore.  Hearing  their  outcries,  I  looked  out  of 
my  chamber  window,  and  saw  the  dorsal  fin  and  the 
fluke  of  his  tail  stuck  up  out  of  the  water,  as  he  moved 
to  and  fro.  He  must  have  been  eight  or  ten  feet  long. 
He  had  probably  followed  the  small  fish  into  the  bay, 
and  got  bewildered,  and,  at  one  time,  he  was  almost 
aground. 

Oscar,  Mr.  Laighton's  son,  ran  down  with  a  gun,  and 
fired  at,  the  shark,  which  was  then  not  more  than  ten 
yards  from  the  shore.  He  aimed,  according  to  his  fa 
ther's  directions,  just  below  the  junction  of  tho  dorsal  fin 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  207 

with  the  body  ;  but  the  gun  was  loaded  only  with  shot, 
and  seemed  to  produce  no  effect.  Oscar  had  another 
shot  at  him  afterwards  ;  the  shark  floundered  a  little  in 
the  water,  but  finally  got  off  and  disappeared,  probably 
without  very  serious  damage.  He  came  so  near  the 
shore  that  he  might  have  been  touched  with  a  boat- 
hook. 

September  $th.  —  Mr.  Thaxter  rowed  me  this  morn 
ing,  in  his  dory,  to  White  Island,  on  which  is  the  light 
house.  There  was  scarcely  a  breath  of  air,  and  a  per 
fectly  calm  sea  ;  an  intensely  hot  sunshine,  with  a  little 
haze,  so  that  the  horizon  was  indistinct.  Here  and 
there  sail-boats  sleeping  on  the  water,  or  moving  almost 
imperceptibly  over  it.  The  light-house  island  would  be 
difficult  of  access  in  a  rough  sea,  the  shore  being  so 
rocky.  On  landing,  we  found  the  keeper  peeling  his 
harvest  of  onions,  which  he  had  gathered  prematurely, 
because  the  insects  were  eating  them.  His  little  patch 
of  garden  seemed  to  be  a  strange  kind  of  soil,  as  like 
marine  mud  as  anything;  but  he  had  a  fair  crop  of 
marrow  squashes,  though  injured,  as  he  said,  by  the  last 
storm  ;  and  there  were  cabbages  and  a  few  turnips.  I 
recollect  no  other  garden  vegetables.  The  grass  grows 
pretty  luxuriantly,  and  looked  very  green  where  there 
was  any  soil ;  but  he  kept  no  cow,  nor  even  a  pig  nor  a 
hen.  His  house  stands  close  by  the  garden,  —  a  small 
stone  building,  with  peaked  roof,  and  whitewashed 
The  light-house  stands  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  with  a  gulley 
between,  and  there  is  a  long  covered  way,  triangular  in 
shape,  connecting  his  residence  with  it.  We  ascended 
into  the  lantern,  which  is  eighty-seven  feet  high.  It  is 


208  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [3852 

a  revolving  light,  with  several  great  illuminators  of  cop 
per  silvered,  and  colored  lamp-glasses.  Looking  down 
ward,  we  had  the  island  displayed  as  on  a  chart,  with 
its  little  bays,  its  isthmus  of  shingly  beach  connecting 
two  parts  of  the  island,  and  overflowed  at  high  tide  ;  its 
sunken  rocks  about  it,  indicated  by  the  swell,  or  slightly 
breaking  surf.  The  keeper  of  the  light-house  was  for 
merly  a  writing-master.  He  has  a  sneaking  kind  of 
look,  and  does  not  bear  a  very  high  character  among  his 
neighbors.  Since  he  kept  the  light,  he  has  lost  two 
wives,  —  the  first  a  young  creature  whom  he  used  to 
leave  alone  upon  this  desolate  rock,  and  the  gloom  and 
terror  of  the  situation  were  probably  the  cause  of  her 
death.  The  segond  wife,  experiencing  the  same  kind 
of  treatment,  ran  away  from  him,  and  returned  to  her 
friends.  He  pretends  to  be  religious,  but  drinks. 
About  a  year  ago  he  attempted  to  row  out  alone  from 
Portsmouth.  There  was  a  head  wind  and  head  tide, 
and  he  would  have  inevitably  drifted  out  to  sea,  if  Mr. 
Thaxter  had  not  saved  him. 

While  we  were  standing  in  his  garden-patch,  I  heard 
a  woman's  voice  inside  the  dwelling,  but  know  not 
whose  it  was.  A  light-house  nine  miles  from  shore 
would  be  a  delightful  place  for  a  new-married  couple  to 
spend  their  honeymoon,  or  their  whole  first  year. 

On  our  way  back  we  landed  at  another  island  called 
Londoner's  Rock,  or  some  such  name.  It  has  but  little 
soil.  As  we  approached  it,  a  large  bird  flew  away. 
Mr.  Thaxter  took  it  to  be  a  gannet ;  and,  while  walking 
over  the  island,  an  owl  started  up  from  among  the  rocks 
near  us,  and  flew  away,  apparently  uncertain  of  its  course. 
It  was  a  brown  owl,  but  Mr.  Thaxter  says  that  there 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  209 

are  beautiful  white  owls,  which  spend  the  winter  here, 
and  feed  upon  rats.  These  are  very  abundant,  and  live 
amidst  the  rocks,  —  probably  having  been  brought  hith 
er  by  vessels. 

The  water  to-day  was  not  so  transparent  as  some 
times,  but  had  a  slight  haze  diffused  through  it,  some 
what  like  that  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  passengers  brought  by  the  Spy,  yesterday,  still 
remain  with  us.  They  consist  of  country  traders,  a 
country  doctor,  and  such  sorts  of  people,  rude,  shrewd, 
and  simple,  and  well-behaved  enough  ;  wondering  at 
sharks,  and  equally  at  lobsters;  sitting  down  to  table 
with  their  coats  off ;  helping  themselves  out  of  the  dish 
with  their  own  forks  ;  taking  pudding  on  the  plates  off 
.which  they  have  eaten  meat.  People  at  just  this  stage 
of  manners  are  more  disagreeable  than  at  any  other 
stage.  They  are  aware  of  some  decencies,  but  not  so 
deeply  aware  as  to  make  them  a  matter  of  conscience. 
They  may  be  heard  talking  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the 
expedition,  reckoning  what  money  each  has  paid.  One 
offers  to  pay  another  three  or  four  cents,  which  the  latter 
has  overpaid.  "  It 's  of  no  consequence,  sir,"  says  his 
friend,  with  a  tone  of  conscious  liberality,  "  that 's  near 
enough."  This  is  a  most  tremendously  hot  day. 

There  is  a  young  lady  staying  at  the  hotel,  afflicted 
wi  th  what  her  friends  call  erysipelas,  but  which  is  prob 
ably  scrofula.  She  seems  unable  to  walk,  or  sit  up ; 
but  every  pleasant  day,  about  the  middle  of  the  fore 
noon,  she  is  dragged  out  beneath  the  veranda,  on  a 
sofa.  To-day  she  has  been  there  until  late  in  the  de 
cline  of  the  afternoon.  It  is  a  delightful  place,  where 
*he  breezes  stir,  if  any  are  in  motion.  The  young  girls, 

N 


210  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852, 

her  sisters  or  cousins,  and  Mr.  Thaxter's  sister,  sat 
round  her,  babbling  cheerfully,  and  singing ;  and  they 
were  so  inerry  that  it  did  not  seem  as  if  there  could  be 
an  incurably  sick  one  in  the  midst  of  them. 

The  Spy  came  to-day,  with  more  passengers  of  no  par 
ticular  character.  She  still  remains  off  the  landing, 
moored,  with  her  sails  in  the  wind. 

The  mail  arrived  to-day,  but  nothing  for  me. 

Close  by  the  veranda,  at  the  end  of  the  hotel,  is 
drawn  up  a  large  boat,  of  ten  or  twelve  tons,  which  got 
injured  in  some  gale,  and  probably  will  remain  there  for 
years  to  decay,  and  be  a  picturesque  and  characteristic 
object. 

The  Spy  has  been  lying  in  the  broad  track  of  golden 
light,  thrown  by  the  sun,  far  down  towards  the  horizon, 
over  the  rippling  water,  her  sails  throwing  distinct,  dark 
shadows  over  the  brightness.  She  has  now  got  under 
way,  and  set  sail  on  a  northwest  course  for  Portsmouth ; 
carrying  off,  I  believe,  all  the  passengers  she  brought 
to-day. 

September  10^.  —  Here  is  another  beautiful  morning, 
with  the  sun  dimpling  in  the  early  sunshine.  Four  sail 
boats  are  in  sight,  motionless  on  the  sea,  with  the  white 
ness  of  their  sails  reflected  in  it.  The  heat-haze  sleeps 
along  the  shore,  though  not  so  as  quite  to  hide  it,  and 
there  is  the  promise  of  another  very  warm  day.  As 
yet,  however,  the  air  is  cool  and  refreshing.  Around 
the  island,  there  is  the  little  ruffle  of  a  breeze;  but 
where  the  sail-boats  are,  a  mile  or  more  off,  the  sea  is 
perfectly  calm.  The  crickets  sing,  and  I  hear  the  chirp 
ing  of  birds  besides. 


1852.1  AMEKICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  211 

At  the  base  of  the  light-house  yesterday,  we  saw  the 
wings  and  feathers  of  a  decayed  little  bird,  and  Mr. 
Thaxter  said  they  often  flew  against  the  lantern  with 
such  force  as  to  kill  themselves,  and  that  large  quantities 
of  them  might  be  picked  up.  How  came  these  little 
birds  out  of  their  nests  at  night?  Why  should  they 
meet  destruction  from  the  radiance  that  proves  the  sal 
vation  of  other  beings  ? 

Mr.  Thaxter  had  once  a  man  living  with  him  who 
had  seen  "  Old  Bab,"  the  ghost.  He  met  him  between 
the  hotel  and  the  sea,  and  describes  him  as  dressed  in  a 
sort  of  frock,  and  with  a  very  dreadful  countenance. 

Two  or  three  years  ago,  the  crew  of  a  wrecked  vessel, 
a  brigantine,  wrecked  near  Boon  Island,  landed  on  Hog 
Island  of  a  winter  night,  and  found  shelter  in  the  hotel. 
It  was  from  the  eastward.  There  were  six  or  seven 
men,  with  the  mate  and  captain.  It  was  midnight  when 
they  got  ashore.  The  common  sailors,  as  soon  as  they 
were  physically  comfortable,  seemed  to  be  perfectly  at 
ease.  The  captain  walked  the  floor,  bemoaning  himself 
for  a  silver  watch  which  he  had  lost ;  the  mate,  being 
the  only  married  man,  talked  about  his  Eunice.  They 
all  told  their  dreams  of  the  preceding  night,  and  saw  in 
them  prognostics  of  the  misfortune. 

There  is  now  a  breeze,  the  blue  ruffle  of  which  seoni3 
to  reach  almost  across  to  the  main-land,  yet  with  streaks 
of  calm ;  and,  in  one  place,  the  glassy  surface  of  a  lake 
of  calmness,  amidst  the  surrounding  commotion. 

The  wind,  in  the  early  morning,  was  from  the  west, 
and  the  aspect  of  the  sky  seemed  to  promise  a  warm 
and  sunny  day.  But  all  at  once,  soon  after  breakfast, 
the  wind  shifted  round  to  the  east  rard ;  and  great  vol 


212  AMERICAN  NOTE-BOOKS. 

umes  of  fog,  almost  as  dense  as  cannon-smoke,  came 
sweeping  fro^n  the  eastern  ocean,  through  the  val^y, 
and  past  the  house.  It  soon  covered  the  whole  sea,  and 
the  whole  island,  beyond  a  verge  of  a  few  hundred 
yards.  The  chilliness  was  not  so  great  as  accompanies 
a  change  of  wind  on  the  main-land.  We  had  been 
watching  a  large  ship  that  was  slowly  making  her  way 
between  us  and  the  land  towards  Portsmouth.  This 
was  now  hidden.  The  breeze  is  still  very  moderate; 
but  the  boat,  moored  near  the  shore,  rides  with  a  con 
siderable  motion,  as  if  the  sea  were  getting  up. 

Mr.  Laighton  says  that  the  artist  who  adorned  Trin 
ity  Church  in  New  York  with  sculpture  wanted  some 
real  wings  from  which  to  imitate  the  wings  of  cherubim. 
Mr.  Thaxter  carried  him  the  wings  of  the  white  owl 
that  winters  here  at  the  Shoals,  together  with  those  of 
some  other  bird ;  and  the  artist  gave  his  cherubim  the 
wings  of  an  owl. 

This  morning  there  have  been  two  boat-loads  of  visit 
ors  from  Rye.  They  merely  made  a  flying  call,  and 
took  to  their  boats  again,  —  a  disagreeable  and  imperti 
nent  kind  of  people. 

The  Spy  arrived  before  dinner,  with  several  passen 
gers.  After  dinner  came  the  Fanny,  bringing,  among 
other  freight,  a  large  basket  of  delicious  pears  to  me, 
together  with  a  note  from  Mr.  B.  B.  Titcomb.  He  is 
certainly  a  man  of  excellent  taste  and  admirable  be 
havior.  I  sent  a  plateful  of  pears  to  the  room  of  each 
guest  now  in  the  hotel,  kept  a  dozen  for  myself,  and 
gave  the  balance  to  Mr.  Laighton. 

The  two  Portsmouth  young  ladies  returned  in  the 
Spy.  I  had  grown  accustomed  to  their  presence,  and 


1852.  J  AMETvICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  213 

vather  liked  them ;  one  of  them  being  gay  and  rather 
noisy,  and  the  other  quiet  and  gentle.  As  to  new 
comers,  I  feel  rather  a  distaste  to  them ;  and  so,  I  find, 
does  Mr.  Laighton,  —  a  rather  singular  sentiment  for  a 
hotel-keeper  to  entertain  towards  his  guests.  However, 
he  treats  them  very  hospitably,  when  once  within  his 
doors. 

The  sky  is  overcast,  and,  about  the  time  the  Spy  and 
the  Fanny  sailed,  there  were  a  few  drops  of  rain.  The 
wind,  at  that  time,  was  strong  enough  to  raise  white 
caps  to  the  eastward  of  the  island,  and  there  was  good 
hope  of  a  storm.  Now,  however,  the  wind  has  subsided, 
and  the  weather-seers  know  not  what  to  forebode. 

September  llth.  —  The  wind  shifted  and  veered  about, 
towards  the  close  of  yesterday,  and  later  it  was  almost 
calm,  after  blowing  gently  from  the  northwest,  —  not 
withstanding  which  it  rained.  There  being  a  mistiness 
in  the  air,  we  could  see  the  gleam  of  the  light-house 
upon  the  mist  above  it,  although  the  light-house  itself 
was  hidden  by  the  highest  point  of  this  island,  or  by 
our  being  in  a  valley.  As  we  sat  under  the  piazza  in 
the  evening,  we  saw  the  light  from  on  board  some  ves 
sel  move  slowly  through  the  distant  obscurity,  —  so 
slowly  that  we  were  only  sensible  of  its  progress  by  for 
getting  it  and  looking  again.  The  plash  and  murmur 
of  the  waves  around  the  island  were  soothingly  audible. 
It  was  not  unpleasantly  cold,  and  Mr.  Laighton,  Mr. 
Thaxter,  and  myself  sat  under  the  piazza  till  long  after 
dark ;  the  former  at  a  little  distance,  occasionally  smok 
ing  his  pipe,  and  Mr.  Thaxter  and  I  talking  about  poets 
and  the  stage.  The  latter  is  an  odd  subject  to  be  dis- 


214  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS. 

cussed  in  this  stern  and  wild  scene,  which  has  precisely 
the  same  characteristics  now  as  two  hundred  years  ago. 
The  mosquitoes  were  very  abundant  last  night,  and 
they  are  certainly  a  hardier  race  than  their  inland 
brethren. 

This  morning  there  is  a  sullen  sky,  with  scarcely  any 
breeze.  The  clouds  throw  shadows  of  varied  darkness 
upon  the  sea.  I  know  not  which  way  the  wind  is ;  but 
the  aspect  of  things  seems  to  portend  a  calm  drizzle  as 
much  as  anything  else. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  Mr.  Thaxter  took  me  over  to 
Smutty  Nose  in  his  dory.  A  sloop  from  the  eastward, 
laden  with  laths,  bark,  and  other  .lumber,  and  a  few 
barrels  of  mackerel,  filled  yesterday,  and  was  left  by  her 
skipper  and  crew.  All  the  morning  we  have  seen 
boats  picking  up  her  deck -load,  which  was  scattered 
over  the  sea,  and  along  the  shores  of  the  islands.  The 
skipper  and  his  three  men  got  into  Smutty  Nose  in  the 
boat;  and  the  sloop  was  afterwards  boarded  by  the 
Smutty  Noses  and  brought  into  that  island.  We  saw 
her  lying  at  the  pier,  —  a  black,  ugly,  rotten  old  thing, 
with  the  water  half-way  over  her  decks.  The  wonder 
was,  how  she  swam  so  long.  The  skipper,  a  man  of 
about  thirty-five  or  forty,  in  a  blue  pilot-cloth  overcoat, 
and  a  rusty,  high-crowned  hat  jammed  down  over  his 
brow,  looked  very  forlorn ;  while  the  islanders  were 
grouped  about,  indolently  enjoying  the  matter. 

I  walked  with  Mr.  Thaxter  over  the  island,  and  saw 
first  the  graves  of  the  Spaniards.  They  were  wrecked 
on  this  island  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  lie  buried  in  a 
range  about  thirty  feet  in  length,  to  the  number  of  six 
teen,  with  rough,  moss-grown  pieces  of  granite  on  each 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  215 

side  of  this  common  grave.  Near  this  spot,  yet  some 
what  removed,  so  as  not  to  be  confounded  with  it,  are 
other  individual  graves,  chiefly  of  the  Haley  family,  who 
were  once  possessors  of  the  island.  These  have  slate 
gravestones.  There  is  also,  within  a  small  enclosure  of 
rough  pine  boards,  a  white  marble  gravestone,  in  mem 
ory  of  a  young  man  named  Bekker,  son  of  the  person 
who  now  keeps  the  hotel  on  Smutty  Nose.  He  was 
buried,  Mr.  Thaxter  says,  notwithstanding  his  marble 
monument,  in  a  rude  pine  box,  which  he  himself  helped 
to  make. 

We  walked  tn  the  farthest  point  of  the  island,  and  I 
have  never  seen  a  more  dismal  place  than  it  was  on  this 
sunless  and  east-windy  day,  being  the  farthest  point  out 
into  the  melancholy  sea,  which  was  in  no  very  agreeable 
mood,  arid  roared  sullenly  against  the  wilderness  of 
rocks.  One  mass  of  rock,  more  than  twelve  feet  square, 
was  thrown  up  out  of  the  sea  in  a  storm,  not  many  years 
since,  and  now  lies  athwartwise,  never  to  be  moved  un 
less  another  omnipotent  wave  shall  give  it  another  toss. 
On  shore,  such  a  rock  would  be  a  landmark  for  centu 
ries.  It  is  inconceivable  how  a  sufficient  mass  of  water 
could  be  brought  to  bear  on  this  ponderous  mass  ;  but, 
not  improbably,  all  the  fragments  piled  upon  one  an 
other  round  these  islands  have  thus  been  flung  to  and 
fro  at  one  time  or  another. 

There  is  considerable  land  that  would  serve  toler 
ably  for  pasture  on  Smutty  Nose,  and  here  and  there  a 
little  enclosure  of  richer  grass,  built  round  with  a  strong 
stone  wall.  The  same  kind  of  enclosure  is  prevalent  on 
Star  Island,  —  each  small  proprietor  fencing  off  his 
little  bit  of  tillage  or  grass.  Wild-flowers  are  abundant 


216  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 

and  various  on  these  islands;  the  bayberry-bush  is 
plentiful  on  Smutty  Nose,  and  makes  the  hand  that 
crushes  it  fragrant. 

The  hotel  is  kept  by  a  Prussian,  an  old  soldier,  who 
fought  at  the  Battle  of  Waterloo.  We  saw  him  in  the 
barn,  —  a  gray,  heavy,  round-skulled  old  fellow,  troubled 
with  deafness.  The  skipper  of  the  wrecked  sloop  had, 
apparently,  just  been  taking  a  drop  of  comfort,  but  still 
seemed  downcast.  He  took  passage  in  a  fishing-vessel, 
the  Wave,  of  Kittery,  for  Portsmouth  ;  and  I  know 
not  why,  but  there  was  something  that  made  me  smile 
in  his  grim  and  gloomy  look,  his  rusty,  jammed  hat,  his 
rough  and  grisly  beard,  and  in  his  mode  of  chewing 
tobacco,  with  much  action  of  the  jaws,  getting  out  the 
juice  as  largely  at  possible,  as  men  always  do  when  dis 
turbed  in  mind.  I  looked  at  him  earnestly,  and  was 
conscious  of  something  that  marked  him  out  from  among 
the  careless  islanders  around  him.  Being  as  much  dis 
composed  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  be,  his  feelings 
individualized  the  man  and  magnetized  the  observer. 
When  he  got  aboard  the  fishing-vessel,  he  seemed  not 
entirely  at  his  ease,  being  accustomed  to  command  and 
work  amongst  his  own  little  crew,  and  now  having  noth 
ing  to  do.  Nevertheless,  unconsciously  perhaps,  he 
lent  a  hand  to  whatever  was  going  on,  and  yet  had  a 
kind  of  strangeness  about  him.  As  the  Wave  set  sail, 
we  were  just  starting  in  our  dory,  and  a  young  fellow, 
an  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Thaxter,  proposed  to  take  us  in 
tow ;  so  we  were  dragged  along  at  her  stern  very  rapidly 
and  with  a  whitening  wake,  until  we  came  off  Hog  Isl 
and.  Then  the  dory  was  cast  loose,  and  Mr.  Thaxter 
rowed  ashore  against  a  head  sea. 


io52.j  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  217 

The  day  is  still  overcast,  and  the  wind  is  from  the 
eastward ;  but  it  does  not  increase,  and  the  sun  appears 
occasionally  on  the  point  of  shining  out.  A  boat  —  the 
Fanny,  I  suppose,  from  Portsmouth  —  has  just  come  to 
her  moorings  in  front  of  the  hotel.  A  sail-boat  has 
put  off  from  her,  with  a  passeriger  in  the  stern.  Pray 
God  she  bring  me  a  letter  with  good  news  from  home ; 
for  I  begin  to  feel  as  if  I  had  been  long  enough  away. 

There  is  a  bowling-alley  on  Smutty  Nose,  at  which 
some  of  the  Star-Islanders  were  playing,  when  we  were 
there.  I  saw  only  two  dwelling-houses  besides  the 
hotel.  Connected  with  Smutty  Nose  by  a  stone  wall 
there  is  another  little  bit  of  island,  called  Malaga.  Both 
are  the  property  of  Mr.  Laighton. 

Mr.  Laighton  says  that  the  Spanish  wreck  occurred 
forty-seven  years  ago,  instead  of  a  hundred.  Some  of 
the  dead  bodies  were  found  on  Malaga,  others  on  various 
parts  of  the  next  island.  One  or  two  had  crept  to  a 
stone  wall  that  traverses  Smutty  Nose,  but  were  unable 
to  get  over  it.  One  was  found  among  the  bushes  the 
next  summer.  Mr.  Haley  had  been  buried  at  his  own 
expense. 

The  skipper  of  the  wrecked  sloop,  yesterday,  was  un 
willing  to  go  to  Portsmouth  until  he  was  shaved,  —  his 
beard  being  of  several  days'  growth.  It  seems  to  be 
the  impulse  of  people  under  misfortune  to  put  on  their 
best  clothes,  and  attend  to  the  decencies  of  life. 

The  Fanny  brought  a  passenger,  — a  thin,  stiff,  black- 
haired  young  man,  who  enters  his  name  as  Mr.  Tufts, 
from  Charlestown.  He,  and  a  country  trader,  his  wife, 
sister,  and  two  children  (all  of  whom  have  been  here 
several  days),  are  now  the  only  guests  besides  myself- 

VOL.  n.  10 


218  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

September  12th.  —  The  night  set  in  sullen  and  gloomy, 
and  morning  has  dawned  in  pretty  much  the  same  way. 
The  wind,  however,  seems  rising  somewhat,  and  grum 
bles  past  the  angle  of  the  house.  Perh&ps  we  shall  see 
a  storm  yet  from  the  eastward  ;  and,  having  the  whole 
sweep  of  the  broad  Atlantic  between  here  and  Ireland, 
I  do  not  see  why  it  should  not  be  fully  equal  to  a  storm 
at  sea. 

It  has  been  raining  more  or  less  all  the  forenoon,  and 
now,  at  twelve  o'clock,  blows,  as  Mr.  Laighton  says, 
"  half  a  gale  "  from  the  southeast.  Through  the  open 
ing  of  our  shallow  valley,  towards  the  east,  there  is  the 
prospect  of  a  tumbling  sea,  with  hundreds  of  white-caps 
chasing  one  another  over  it.  In  front  of  the  hotel, 
being  to  leeward,  the  water  near  the  shore  is  but  slightly 
ruffled;  but  farther  the  sea  is  agitated,  and  the  surf 
breaks  over  Square  Rock.  All  round  the  horizon,  land 
ward  as  well  as  seaward,  the  view  is  shut  in  by  a  mist. 
Sometimes  I  have  a  dim  sense  of  the  continent  beyond, 
but  no  more  distinct  than  the  thought  of  the  other  world 
to  the  unenlightened  soul.  The  sheep  bleat  in  their 
desolate  pasture.  The  wind  shakes  the  house.  A  loon, 
seeking,  I  suppose,  some  quieter  resting-place  than  on 
the  troubled  waves,  was  seen  swimming  just  now  in  the 
cove  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  hotel. 
Judging  by  the  pother  which  this  "  half  a  gale  "  makes 
with  the  sea,  it  must  have  been  a  terrific  time,  indeed, 
when  that  great  wave  rushed  and  roared  across  the 
islands. 

Since  dinner,  I  have  been  to  the  eastern  shore  to  look 
at  the  sea.  It  is  a  wild  spectacle,  but  still,  I  suppose, 
lucks  an  infinite  deal  of  being  a  storm.  Outside  of  this 


;852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  219 

island  there  is  a  long  and  low  one  (or  two  in  a  line), 
looking  more  like  a  reef  of  rocks  than  an  island,  and  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more.  There  the  surf  and 
spray  break  gallantly,  —  white-sheeted  forms  rising  up 
all  at  once,  and  hovering  a  moment  in  the  air.  Spots 
which,  in  calm  times,  are  not  discernible  from  the  rest 
of  the  ocean,  now  are  converted  into  white,  foamy  break 
ers.  The  swell  of  the  waves  against  our  shore  makes 
a  snowy  depth,  tinged  with  green,  for  many  feet  back 
from  the  shore.  The  longer  waves  swell,  overtop,  and 
rush  upon  the  rocks ;  and,  when  they  return,  the  waters 
pour  back  in  a  cascade.  Against  the  outer  points  of 
Smutty  Nose  and  Star  Island,  there  is  a  higher  surf 
than  here  ;  because,  the  wind  being  from  the  southeast, 
these  islands  receive  it  first,  and  form  a  partial  bar 
rier  in  respect  to  this.  While  I  looked,  there  was  mois 
ture  in  the  air,  and  occasional  spats  of  rain.  The 
uneven  places  in  the  rocks  were  full  of  the  fallen  rain. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  give  an  idea  of  these  rocky 
shores,  —  how  confusedly  they  are  tossed  together,  lying 
in  all  directions  ;  what  solid  ledges,  what  great  frag 
ments  thrown  out  from  the  rest.  Often  the  rocks  are 
broken,  square  and  angular,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of 
staircase;  though,  for  the  most  part,  such  as  would 
require  a  giant  stride  to  ascend  them. 

Sometimes  a  black  trap-rock  runs  through  the  bed  of 
granite ;  sometimes  the  sea  has  eaten  this  away,  leaving 
a  long,  irregular  fissure.  In  some  places,  owing  to  the 
same  cause  perhaps,  there  is  a  great  hollow  place 
excavated  into  the  ledge,  and  forming  a  harbor,  into 
which  the  sea  flows ;  and,  while  there  is  foam  and  fury 
at  the  entrance,  it  is  comparatively  calm  within.  Some 


220  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

parts  of  the  crag  are  as  much  as  fifty  feet  of  perpendic 
ular  height,  down  which  you  look  over  a  bare  and 
smooth  descent,  at  the  base  of  which  is  a  shaggy  margin 
of  sea-weed.  But  it  is  vain  to  try  to  express  this  confu 
sion.  As  much  as  anything  else,  it  seems  as  if  some  of 
the  massive  materials  of  the  world  remained  superflu 
ous,  after  the  Creator  had  finished,  and  were  carelessly 
thrown  down  here,  where  the  millionth  part  of  them 
emerge  from  the  sea,  and  in  the  course  of  thousands  of 
years  have  become  partially  bestrewn  with  a  little  soil. 

The  wind  has  changed  to  southwest,  and  blows  pretty 
freshly.  The  sun  shone  before  it  set;  and  the  mist, 
which  all  day  has  overhung  the  land,  now  takes  the 
aspect  of  a  cloud,  —  drawing  a  thin  veil  between  us  and 
the  shore,  and  rising  above  it.  In  our  own  atmosphere 
there  is  no  fog  nor  mist. 

September  13th.  —  I  spent  last  evening,  as  well  as 
part  of  the  evening  before,  at  Mr.  Thaxter's.  It  is 
certainly  a  romantic  incident  to  find  such  a  young  man 
on  this  lonely  island ;  his  marriage  with  the  pretty 
Miranda  is  true  romance.  In  our  talk  we  have  glanced 
over  many  matters,  and,  among  the  rest,  that  of  the 
stage,  to  prepare  himself  for  which  was  his  first  motive 
in  coming  hither.  He  appears  quite  to  have  given  up 
any  dreams  of  that  kind  now.  What  he  will  do  on 
returning  to  the  world,  as  his  purpose  is,  I  cannot  im 
agine  ;  but,  no  doubt,  through  all  their  remaining  life, 
both  he  and  she  will  look  back  to  this  rocky  ledge,  with 
its  handful  of  soil,  as  to  a  Paradise. 

Last  evening  we  (Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Thaxter)  sat 
and  talked  of  ghosts  and  kindred  subjects  ;  and  they 


1852.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  221 

told  me  of  the  appearance  of  a  little  old  woman  in 
a  striped  gown,  that  had  come  into  that  house  a  few 
months  ago.  She  was  seeo  by  nobody  but  an  Irish 
nurse,  who  spoke  to  her,  but  leceived  no  answer.  The 
little  woman  drew  her  chair  up  towards  the  fire,  and 
stretched  out  her  feet  to  warm  them.  By  and  by  the 
nurse,  who  suspected  nothing  of  her  ghostly  character, 
went  to  get  a  pail  of  water ;  and,  when  she  came  back, 
the  little  woman  was  not  there.  It  being  known  pre 
cisely  how  many  and  what  people  were  on  the  island, 
and  that  no  such  little  woman  was  among  them,  the  fact 
of  her  being  a  ghost  is  incontestible.  I  taught  them 
how  to  discover  the  hidden  sentiments  of  letters  by  sus 
pending  a  gold  ring  over  them.  Ordinarily,  since  I 
have  been  here,  we  have  spent  the  evening  under  the 
piazza,  where  Mr.  Laighton  sits  to  take  the  air.  He 
seems  to  avoid  the  within-doors  whenever  he  can.  So 
there  he  sits  in  the  sea-breezes,  when  inland  people  are 
probably  drawing  their  chairs  to  the  fireside ;  and  there 
I  sit  with  him,  —  not  keeping  up  a  continual  flow  of 
talk,  but  each  speaking  as  any  wisdom  happens  to  come 
into  his  mind. 

The  wind,  this  morning,  is  from  the  northwestward, 
rather  brisk,  but  not  very  strong.  There  is  a  scattering 
of  clouds  about  the  sky ;  but  the  atmosphere  is  singular 
ly  clear,  and  we  can  see  several  hills  of  the  interior, 
the  cloud-like  White  Mountains,  and,  along  the  shore, 
the  long  white  beaches  and  the  dotted  dwellings,  with 
great  distinctness.  Many  small  vessels  spread  their 
wings,  and  go  seaward. 

I  have  been  rambling  over  the  southern  part  of  the 
island,  and  looking  at  the  traces  of  habitations  there. 


2?  2  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [J852. 

There  arc  several  enclosures,  —  the  largest  perhaps  thirty 
yards  square,  —  surrounded  with  a  rough  stone  wall  of 
very  mossy  antiquity,  built  originally  broad  and  strong, 
two  or  three  large  stones  in  width,  and  piled  up  breast- 
high  or  more,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  extending 
ledge  to  make  it  higher.  Within  this  enclosure  there  is 
almost  a  clear  space  of  soil,  which  was  formerly,  no 
doubt,  cultivated  as  a  garden,  but  is  now  close  cropt  by 
the  sheep  and  cattle,  except  where  it  produces  thistles, 
or  the  poisonous  weed  called  mercury,  which  seems  to 
love  these  old  walls,  and  to  root  itself  in  or  near  them. 
These  walls  are  truly  venerable,  gray,  and  mossy ;  and 
you  see  at  once  that  the  hands  that  piled  the  stones 
must  have  been  long  ago  turned  to  dust.  Close  by  the 
enclosure  is  the  hollow  of  an  old  cellar,  with  rocks  tum 
bled  into  it,  but  the  layers  of  stone  at  the  side  still  to  be 
traced,  and  bricks,  broken  or  with  rounded  edges,  scat 
tered  about,  and  perhaps  pieces  of  lime  ;  and  weeds  and 
grass  growing  about  the  whole.  Several  such  sites  of 
former  human  homes  may  be  seen  there,  none  of  which 
can  possibly  be  later  than  the  Revolution,  and  probably 
they  are  as  old  as  the  settlement  of  the  island.  The 
site  has  Smutty  Nose  and  Star  opposite,  with  a  road  (that 
is,  a  water-road)  between,  varying  from  half  a  mile  to  a 
mile.  Duck  Island  is  also  seen  on  the  left ;  and,  on  the 
right,  the  shore  of  the  main-land.  Behind,  the  rising 
ground  intercepts  the  view.  Smith's  monument  is  visible. 
I  do  not  see  where  the  inhabitants  could  have  kept  their 
boats,  unless  in  the  chasms  worn  by  the  sea  into  the 
rocks. 

One  of  these  chasms  has  a  spring  of  fresh  water  in  the 
gravelly  base,  down  to  which  the  sea  has  worn  out.     The 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  223 

chasm  has  perpendicular,  though  irregular,  sides,  which 
the  waves  have  chiselled  out  very  square.  Its  width 
varies  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  widest  towards  the  sea  ; 
and  on  the  shelves,  up  and  down  the  sides,  some  soil  has 
been  here  and  there  accumulated,  on  which  grow  grass 
and  wild-flowers,  —  such  as  golden-rod,  now  in  bloom, 
and  raspberry-bushes,  the  fruit  of  which  I  found  ripe,  — 
the  whole  making  large  parts  of  the  sides  of  the  chasm 
green,  its  verdure  overhanging  the  strip  of  sea  that 
dashes  and  foams  into  the  hollow.  Sea-weed,  besides 
what  grows  upon  and  shags  the  submerged  rocks,  is 
tossed  into  the  harbor,  together  with  stray  pieces  of  wood, 
chips,  barrel-staves,  or  (as  to-day)  an  entire  barrel,  or 
whatever  else  the  sea  happens  to  have  on  hand.  The 
water  rakes  to  and  fro  over  the  pebbles  at  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm,  drawing  back,  and  leaving  much  of  it  bare, 
then  rushing  up,  with  more  or  less  of  foam  and  fury, 
according  to  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wind ;  though, 
owing  to  the  protection  of  the  adjacent  islands,  it  can 
never  have  a  gale  blowing  right  into  its  mouth.  The 
spring  is  situated  so  far  down  the  chasm,  that,  at  half  or 
two  thirds  tide,  it  is  covered  by  the  sea.  Twenty  min 
utes  after  the  retiring  of  the  tide  suffices  to  restore  to 
it  its  wonted  freshness. 

In  another  chasm,  very  much  like  the  one  here  de 
scribed,  I  saw  a  niche  in  the  rock,  about  tall  enough  tor 
a  person  of  moderate  stature  to  stand  upright.  It  had 
a  triangular  floor  and  a  top,  and  was  just  the  place  to 
hold  the  rudest  statue  that  ever  a  savage  made. 

Many  of  the  ledges  on  the  island  have  yellow  moss 
or  lichens  spread  on  them  in  large  patches.     The 
of  those  stone  walls  does  really  look  very  old. 


224  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS. 

"  Old  Bab,"  the  ghost,  has  a  ring  round  his  neck,  and 
is  supposed  either  to  have  been  hung  or  to  have  had  his 
throat  cut,  but  he  steadfastly  declines  telling  the  mode 
of  his  death.  There  is  a  luminous  appearance  about 
him  as  he  walks,  and  his  face  is  pale  and  very  dreadful. 

The  Fanny  arrived  this  forenoon,  and  sailed  again 
before  dinner.  She  brought,  as  passenger,  a  Mr 
Balch,  brother  to  the  country  trader  who  has  been 
spending  a  few  days  here.  On  her  return,  she  has 
swept  the  islands  of  all  the  non-residents  except  myself. 
The  wind  being  ahead,  and  pretty  strong,  she  will  have 
to  beat  up,  and  the  voyage  will  be  anything  but  agree 
able.  The  spray  flew  before  her  bows,  and  doubtless 
gave  the  passengers  all  a  thorough  wetting  within  the 
first  half-hour. 

The  view  of  Star  Island  or  Gosport  from  the  north, 
is  picturesque,  —  the  village,  or  group  of  houses,  being 
gathered  pretty  closely  together  in  the  centre  of  the  isl 
and,  with  some  green  about  them  ;  and  above  all  the 
other  edifices,  wholly  displayed,  stands  the  little  stone 
church,  with  its  tower  and  belfry.  On  the  right  is  White 
Island,  with  the  light-house ;  to  the  right  of  that,  and  a 
little  to  the  northward,  Londoner's  Rock,  where,  per 
haps,  of  old,  some  London  ship  was  wrecked.  To  the 
left  of  Star  Island,  and  nearer  Hog,  or  Appledore,  is 
Smutty  Nose.  Pour  the  blue  sea  about  these  islets,  and 
let  the  surf  whiten  and  steal  up  from  their  points,  and 
from  the  reefs  about  them  (which  latter  whiten  for  an 
instant,  and  then  are  lost  in  the  whelming  and  eddying 
depths),  the  northwest  wind  the  while  raising  thousands 
of  white-caps,  and  the  evening  sun  shining  solemnly 
over  the  expanse,  —  and  it  is  a  stern  and  lovely  scene. 


1852.]  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  225 

The  valleys  that  intersect,  or  partially  intersect,  the 
island,  are  a  remarkable  feature.  They  appear  to  be 
of  the  same  formation  as  the  fissures  in  the  rocks,  but, 
as  they  extend  farther  from  the  sea,  they  accumulate  a 
little  soil  along  the  irregular  sides,  and  so  become  green 
and  shagged  with  bushes,  though  with  the  rock  every 
where  thrusting  itself  through.  The  old  people  of  the 
isles  say  that  their  fathers  could  remember  when  the  sea, 
at  high  tide,  flowed  quite  through  the  valley  in  which 
the  hotel  stands,  and  that  boats  used  to  pass.  After 
wards  it  was  a  standing  pond ;  then  a  morass,  with  cat 
tail  flags  growing  in  it.  It  has  filled  up,  so  far  as  it  is 
filled,  by  the  soil  being  washed  down  from  the  higher 
ground  on  each  side.  The  storms,  meanwhile,  have 
tossed  up  the  shingle  and  paving-stones  at  each  end  of 
the  valley,  so  as  to  form  a  barrier  against  the  passage 
of  any  but  such  mighty  waves  as  that  which  thundered 
through  a  year  or  two  ago. 

The  old  inhabitants  lived  in  the  centre  or  towards 
the  south  of  the  island,  and  avoided  the  north  and  east 
because  the  latter  were  so  much  bleaker  in  winter. 
They  could  moor  their  boats  in  the  road,  between  Smut 
ty  Nose  and  Hog,  but  could  not  draw  them  up.  Mr. 
Laighton  found  traces  of  old  dwellings  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  hotel,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  principal  part 
of  the  population  was  on  this  island.  I  spent  the  even 
ing  at  Mr.  Thaxter's,  and  we  drank  a  glass  of  his  1820 
Scheidam.  The  northwest  wind  was  high  at  ten  o'clock, 
when  I  came  home,  the  tide  full,  and  the  murmur  of 
the  waves  broad  and  deep. 

September  14^.  —  Another  of  the  brightest  of  sunny 
10*  o 


226  AMERICAN   NOTE-BOOKS.  [1852. 

morning;*.  The  wind  is  not  nearly  so  high  as  last  night, 
but  it  is  apparently  still  from  the  northwest,  and  serves 
to  make  the  sea  look  very  blue  and  cold.  The  atmos 
phere  is  so  transparent  that  objects  seem  perfectly  dis 
tinct  along  the  main-land.  To-day  I  must  be  in  Ports 
mouth  ;  to-morrow,  at  home.  A  brisk  west  or  northwest 
wind,  making  the  sea  so  blue,  gives  a  very  distinct  out- 
Hne  in  its  junction  with  the  sky. 

September  16^. —  On  Tuesday,  the  14th,  there  was  no 
opportunity  to  get  to  the  main-land.  Yesterday  morning 
opened  with  a  southeast  rain,  which  continued  all  day. 
The  Fanny  arrived  in  the  forenoon,  with  some  coal  for 
Mr.  Laighton,  and  sailed  again  before  dinner,  taking 
two  of  the  maids  of  the  house ;  but  as  it  rained  pouring, 
and  as  I  could  not,  at  any  rate,  have  got  home  to-night, 
there  would  have  been  no  sense  in  my  going.  It  began 
to  clear  up  in  the  decline  of  the  day ;  the  sun  shot  forth 
some  golden  arrows  a  little  before  his  setting ;  and  the 
sky  was  perfectly  clear  when  I  went  to  bed,  after 
spending  the  evening  at  Mr.  Thaxter's.  This  morning 
is  clear  and  bright ;  but  the  wind  is  northwest,  making 
the  sea  look  blue  and  cold,  with  little  breaks  of  white 
foam.  It  is  unfavorable  for  a  trip  to  the  main-land  ;  but 
doubtless  I  shall  find  an  opportunity  of  getting  ashore 
before  night. 

The  highest  part  of  Appledore  is  about  eighty  feet 
above  the  sea.  Mr.  Laighton  has  seen  whales  off  the 
island,  —  both  on  the  eastern  side  and  between  it  and  the 
main-land;  once  a  great  crowd  of  them,  as  many  as 
fifty.  They  were  drawn  in  by  pursuing  their  food,  —  a 
small  fish  called  herring-bait,  which  came  ashore  in  such 


1853.]  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  227 

abundance  that  Mr.  Laigliton  dipped  up  baskets  full  of 
them.  No  attempt  was  made  to  take  the  whales. 

There  are  vague  traditions  of  trees  on  these  islands. 
One  of  them,  Cedar  Island,  is  said  to  have  been  named 
from  the  trees  that  grew  on  it.  The  matter  appears 
improbable,  though,  Mr.  Thaxter  says,  large  quantities 
of  soil  are  annually  washed  into  the  sea ;  so  that  the 
islands  may  have  been  better  clad  with  earth  and  its 
productions  than  now. 

Mrs.  Thaxter  tells  me  that  there  are  several  burial- 
places  on  this  island ;  but  nobody  has  been  buried  here 
since  the  Revolution.  Her  own  marriage  was  the  first 
one  since  that  epoch,  and  her  little  Karl,  now  three 
months  old,  the  first-born  child  in  all  those  eighty  years. 

[Then  follow  extracts  from   the    Church   Records   of 
Gosport.~\ 

This  book  of  the  Church  records  of  Gosport  is  a 
small  folio,  well  bound  in  dark  calf,  and  about  an  inch 
thick;  the  paper  very  stout,  with  a  water-mark  of  an 

armed  man  in  a  sitting  posture,  holding  a  spear 

over  a  lion,  who  brandishes  a  sword ;  on  alternate  pages 
the  Crown,  and  beneath  it  the  letters  G.  R.  The  motto 
of  the  former  device  Pro  Patria.  The  book  is  written 
in  a  very  legible  hand,  probably  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tucke. 
The  ink  is  not  much  faded. 

Concord,  March  9^,  1853.  —  Finished,  this  day,  the 
last  story  of  Tanglewood  Tales.  They  were  written  in 
the  following  order. 

The  Pomegranate  Seeds. 

The  Minotaur. 

The  Golden  Fleece. 


228  AMERICAN    NOTE-BOOKS.  [1853. 

The  Dragons'  Teeth. 

Circe's  Palace. 

The  Pygmies. 

The  introduction  is  yet  to  be  written.  Wrote  it 
13th  March.  I  went  to  Washington  (my  first  visit)  on 
14th  April. 

Caresses,  expressions  of  one  sort  or  another,  are 
necessary  to  the  life  of  the  affections,  as  leaves  are 
to  the  life  of  a  tree.  If  they  are  wholly  restrained, 
love  will  die  at  the  roots. 

June  9th.  —  Cleaning  the  attic  to-day,  here  at  the 
Wayside,  the  woman  found  an  immense  snake,  flat  and 
outrageously  fierce,  thrusting  out  its  tongue.  Ellen,  the 
cook,  killed  it.  She  called  it  an  adder,  but  it  appears  to 
have  been  a  striped  snake.  It  seems  a  fiend,  haunting 
the  house.  On  further  inquiry,  the  snake  is  described 
as  plaided  with  brown  and  black. 

Cupid  in  these  latter  times  has  probably  laid  aside 
his  bow  and  arrows,  and  uses  fire-arms,  —  a  pistol,  — 
perhaps  a  revolver. 

I  burned  great  heaps  of  old  letters  and  other  papers, 
a  little  while  ago,  preparatory  to  going  to  England. 

Among  them  were  hundreds  of  's  letters.      The 

world  has  no  more  such,  and  now  they  are  all  dust  and 
ashes.  What  a  trustful  guardian  of  secret  matters  is 
fire !  What  should  we  do  without  fire  and  death  ? 

THE    END. 


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